Kaifuku
by TrunksIzayaBossKadoDRRRotaku
Summary: Dreams can be terrifying at times, sometimes very real. What happens when high school detective Kudo Shinichi has terrible nightmares? He has no memories of his past life, but the truth will be hard to accept. He is Lelouch vi Britannia reincarnated. Being edited as of 12/17/13. Expect an update soon. -Discontinued, see the END OF EVERYTHING-a better version of this.-
1. Chapter 1 Nightmares

Chapter 1 Night Terrors

_A young man with dark hair raced through the night. He stopped upon seeing an orange-haired girl lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. His eyes widened._

_"SHIRLEY!" He cried, racing over to her. "Shirley, who did this to you?" He demanded._

_Her olive orbs opened. "Lulu...I'm glad we can meet at the very end." She said._

_"It's not the end. I'll call a doctor, so just-" He started to say, but then she gripped his arm tightly._

_"Ever since my memories have come back, I've been feeling very afraid. A teacher who wasn't a teacher...friends who don't have memories to share. All I wanted was to be someone who could at least be truthful to you," Shirley said._

_"Shirley..." He said, trailing off._

_"Lulu...I love you. Even knowing that you caught my father in this, I still forgave you. Even though you erased my memories, I still fell in love with you," She said, struggling to speak._

_"No, Shirley, you can't die! I order you not to die!" The young man cried, a strange red sigil forming in his eyes as it went into the girl's olive orbs._

_"And as I'm reborn, I'll keep falling in love with..." The girl said, but stopped, her hand dropped to the floor._

_He shook her. "SHIRLEY! SHIRLEY!" He screamed uselessly, knowing that she was dead but refusing to admit it all the same. Once the reality of the situation sunk in, he sobbed hysterically and then screamed. _

* * *

Sixteen-year old Kudo Shinichi awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat. His sheets were all covered in sweat, too, much to his discomfort. He pushed his messy brownish-black hair out of his eyes and then sat up. Blue eyes glanced around his room for a few moments until he realized where he was.

He wiped his forehead, as he sighed in relief. "It was all...a dream. But, why did it feel _so _real? Like I was there before. Also, who was that girl in my dream? Why did she feel so familiar to me?"

Cobalt eyes gazed at his ceiling for a few seconds, until he shook his head. "Heh, that's crap. Reincarnation doesn't happen. I bet I've just been reading too many mysteries lately," He said to himself as he got up out of bed, and turned on the light.

He stared at his image in the mirror. He was still his usual self, a tall teenager with spiky russet-brown hair that had a cowlick that stuck up in the back no matter how many times he tried to tame it, and brilliant cobalt blue eyes that were full of intelligence beyond their years. He smiled then in relief. "Thank god. I'm not anybody else..._I'm not anybody else." _

He repeated the words like a mantra to himself as he blinked for a moment and for a second he thought he saw a figure dressed in all black wearing a mask staring back at him. He looked again. Nothing except his reflection, albeit a little more messy-haired than usual due to it being the middle of the night.

"It was all just a hallucination," He said nervously, turning out the lights and heading back to bed, praying that for once he wouldn't be plagued by these horrible visions.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Area 11

A green-haired witch sat up from her bed at around the same time that the boy had. However, she lived in a different world altogether.

"This feeling...it feels exactly like Lelouch's. But he's dead. He has been dead for six years. Maybe...he's been _reincarnated." _Golden eyes widened for a moment before a small smirk made its way on her face.

"We'll just see." She said.


	2. Chapter 2 Discovery

**God, my writing from back then was abominable! Time to fix it! **

* * *

Chapter 2 Consultation

The green-haired girl from before quietly slipped out of her bedroom. She knocked on a certain someone's door since she had very important news to tell him.

She heard a groan and then the door slowly squeaked open and a tall young man with brown hair and jade green eyes came out, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Who woke me up at this hour...oh, C.C,. What do you want at this hour?" He asked drowsily.

"I wish to discuss something with you," She said plainly, not caring about the fact that most other people were probably asleep at this hour.

"Nunnally's still sleeping, you know! So keep your voice down!" Suzaku hissed.

C.C. just shrugged. "I know. I have recently felt something like Geass for some time now." She began. "But the thing is, everyone who has Geass is dead."

Suzaku's eyes widened. "That can't be!"

"That's just it. It feels like...Lelouch's," C.C. stated.

Suzaku's face paled. "N-No, that's impossible. He died. I mean, I killed him with my own hand," He said slowly.

"Yes. What if he's been reincarnated?" C.C. suggested.

"T-That's absurd! There's just no way that's true!" Suzaku snapped.

"Well, when you consider Lelouch's mother, who managed to put her consciousness into Anya Alstreim and live on thanks to C's world, it doesn't seem _that_ farfetched, does it?" C.C. challenged tonelessly.

There was silence in the room for a few moments.

Finally, Suzaku found his voice. "_Why _would he be reincarnated? He was a horrible person."

"I don't know. It's just a theory, but you can talk to _her_ about it if you want," C.C. said, referring to a certain redhead. "But, you know she was in love with him."

C.C. strode off then, leaving a shocked Suzaku to ponder over this news.

_What would he be like now if he was reincarnated?_

* * *

Kallen Kouzuki knew she couldn't forget him. Lelouch Lamperouge, no, vi Britannia, had changed her life forever. He had fought for the same things that she had, and managed to change the world. No matter how much suffering he went through, he persevered.

He'd obviously thought that by removing himself from the world, things would be better. But, the more she thought about it, she knew that he was wrong. He didn't realize that there were still people who loved and cared about him, despite the bad things he'd done.

For Kallen found herself thinking about him all the time, and eventually..._loving_ him. She knew she had to move on, because he was dead, but she just couldn't. He was someone she just couldn't forget that easily.

_Lelouch..._

Her phone rang at that point, and she flipped it open and answered.

"Yes?"

"Kallen, it's me." Suzaku said over the other end.

"What do _you_ want?" Kallen said in annoyance.

"The reason I'm calling you is to tell you about Lelouch. C.C. believes he may have been...reborn," Suzaku stated.

"Reborn? That's not possible..." Kallen said, trailing off.

"Kallen...I know you loved him. Don't you at least want to find out if it's true or not?" Suzaku pressed.

"Yes, but he's not going to be the same if he's been reborn, so what's the point?" Kallen said.

"Of course. But, the choice is yours. If he was, then Euphie might've been reborn, too." He added hopefully.

_We've both lost the ones we love. Lelouch would want me to move on, but I want to find him._

"I'll do it." Kallen said, her sapphire orbs burning in determination.

* * *

Ran Mouri noticed her childhood friend's odd behavior the second he had come out of his house. First, he hadn't greeted her at all, a definite warning flag had gone off in her mind. He had just walked ahead of her, lost in his thoughts.

Then he was mumbling things under his breath, and his facial expressions changed many times, much to her bewilderment. She watched this little charade for a few moments before dread filled her heart. Something was not right with her childhood friend today, and she needed to snap him out of whatever was making him act so..._crazy. _

"Shinichi..." She whispered. No response came from the dark-haired teen. He continued his odd behavior, completely oblivious to the world around him, much to her irritation. "Shinichi? Snap out of it!"

"No...I'm sorry. I never meant to shoot you." He mumbled.

"Shinichi, snap out of it!" She cried before putting her hands on his shoulders and spinning him around to face her.

Blue eyes widened. "Ara? What were you saying, Ran?" He said, again pretending that nothing was wrong, much to her chagrin.

"Baka. You seem very preoccupied today, Shinichi. What's the matter?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Nothing. I just had...nightmares," He replied quietly. "They're not leaving my mind any time soon, unfortunately."

"What kinds of nightmares?" Ran inquired.

"Violent dreams." He said.

"Oh. Just stay positive!" Ran said, smiling at him.

_She reminds me of that girl from the dream...the one who was dying and the boy tried to..._

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through his left eye. He flinched, and covered it. "What the heck?" He cried.

"Shinichi, what's wrong?" Ran asked.

"M-My eye is suddenly hurting me. I don't know why." He said, feeling the pain grow more intense.

_What's happening to me? First, these strange dreams...now my eye suddenly hurts..._


	3. Chapter 3 Insight

A/N:I don't own either show I'm writing for. Those belong to Gosho Aoyama and Sunrise. Note: Black are flashbacks from a day ago, while italics are flashbacks from a long time ago. Just to clarify any confusion readers might have. Thanks!

Chapter 3 Realization

Kudou Shinichi had never exactly been ordinary. He had always been highly intelligent for his age, and displayed advanced reasoning. But that wasn't all that could be classified as not ordinary, he thought to himself.

He sat on his bed, gazing up at his ceiling. It was about five o'clock in the afternoon, and he had a little time to sit and think. His mind drifted back to the way Ran had reacted upon hearing him describe the people in his dreams.

* * *

**"Shinichi, what are your dreams like?" Ran inquired.**

**"They're often sad and violent. I mean, last night, there was a girl dying in a pool of her own blood, and I couldn't save her. She had orange hair, I think...and was named...Shirley," Shinichi said quietly, looking at her with serious eyes.**

**"Shinichi, please don't say that name." Ran said quietly.**

**Shinichi stared at her in shock. "What? Why?"**

**"Just...don't." Ran repeated, flatly.**

**"So, what do you think of soccer?" Shinichi said, changing the subject, and Ran seemed to snap out of it.**

* * *

He had strange things happen all the time to him. Intense emotions that seemed to come out of nowhere, deja vu...even as he racked his brain, little, subtle things that he seemed to have either forgotten about or buried in the back of his mind had come back to him. One such example was the time his parents had taken him to a history museum, when he was around five or six years old.

He slipped away from his parents when they were inattentive, and had stumbled upon the English section of the royal times. He found himself looking at a portrait of a beautiful villa, and somehow...it felt very nostalgic. He'd wondered at that time why he would think that way. He had moved on to a crown that was sitting on a cushion; which was white with gold trim. It also seemed oddly familiar, and when he tried to touch it, the curator spotted him and told him to put it down.

Shinichi retorted that he was just curious and that he thought that it might belong to him. The curator just told him to stop messing around and go home. Why did he want to touch that crown, anyway? It wasn't even his.

After being scolded, he had slipped into a corridor where there were more paintings of famous British nobles, and he glanced up at a picture with a woman with long, trailing dark hair, and the most lugubrious expression on her face he had ever seen. He stared at it, then suddenly sat down and felt tears well up in his eyes. For no reason, he started...crying, and he didn't know why he was so upset. But now he knew, there was some overwhelming sense of sadness emanating from that picture, and once he looked at it, he was drawn in.

His parents had then heard his sobs and found him sobbing uncontrollably. They were very bewildered and had asked him what was wrong. Upon hearing his teary response, they took him out of there and left.

_Now I know I can never be around anything royalty._

Another unrelated incident from when he was younger came into his head just then. He'd been reading a book to Ran about Sherlock Holmes, or _trying _to. He then said a random statement.

_"The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed."_

Ran looked curiously at him, and asked him whether that quote had come from the book. He said he didn't know where it came from. He had gone back through the book and scanned it, but he hadn't found anything at all like that statement within its pages.

* * *

He found it strange now, how his dreams kept on becoming more vivid as the days passed. Either he was going mad, or else this place he dreamed about really existed. His logical mind just could not accept this notion, however. All of the evidence pointed to it.

"I hope all of this goes away soon," He muttered, sitting down and deciding to take a nap.

_He was standing in a crowd, wearing a white outfit, and another man in a mask came dashing at him. Then, he was stabbed by a sword. Shinichi felt like this man...was him, dying_. _He could even feel the pain..._

_He slid down in the dream in a pool of his own blood, and lay near a girl with brown hair and striking violet eyes who was chained up. She was so familiar, and she said, "Big Brother, are you all right?"_

_He called her a strange name like Nunnally. Then he died in her arms._

He awoke then, and stared at the stars outside. "Machigainai, these dreams are real. I wish there was someone who could tell me how to make sense of all this." He said.

Then, his eye throbbed again.

* * *

C.C. felt it again. That sensation, the sensation of the geass, was pouring into her, but something else was added with it. Something of the user's memories was in it for some reason...she could feel his depression, his anger...his fear.

C.C. smirked. "I see. So, he _is _alive."

She pulled out her phone and dialed.

Kallen's gaze was also on the stars. She enjoyed being alone at night, it gave her time to think on things, like a certain black-haired teen.

_I wonder if Lelouch is watching this sky right now. I wonder what he's thinking now, and what he's like...if it's even true._

Kallen's phone rang, causing her to yank it out of her pocket and hold it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Kallen, it's me. The reincarnation theory is accurate. I just received another Geass...wave, you could say. It sent me some info about the user. The user is Japanese, and has the same frequency as Lelouch's, so this is his incarnation. The incarnation is male, too," C.C. said.

Kallen dropped the phone in shock. "What? It's true?" She cried.

"Kallen, it's very rude to cut me off like that," C.C. replied, but sounded like she didn't care.


	4. Chapter 4 Other incarnations

A/N:Here's the next chappie! Now you will learn who Euphie is. Revised things up a bit on 12/12/13.

* * *

Four complicated feelings

A pink-haired girl found herself on a beach. She dried her dress off and was surprised to see a man in a mask pointing a gun at her. Most people would have freaked out in a situation like that, but she didn't even flinch in the slightest.

She stared at the man, trying to figure out if her hunch was right or not. "Lelouch."

The man in the mask flinched, as though she had just struck a nerve. Bingo.

"Lelouch, it's you, isn't it? I haven't told anyone about you. Please, before you shoot me, let me at least see your face." She pleaded, just hoping he would actually listen to her request.

The man put down his gun and removed his mask, revealing a boy with black hair and purple eyes. Upon seeing his face, tears flowed out of the girl's eyes. "Lelouch," She whispered.

The two of them sat on the beach, and talked for a while, and spent the night together, but the next day they were forced to part. A few days later, this girl and her brother met up again, but something terrible happened. She was killing people, but she didn't know why she was doing it.

She watched her brother walk past her, and followed after him. Suddenly, he pointed a gun, and fired, at her. The machine gun fell out of her hands as she started to fall.

"Lelouch...why?" The words drifted out of her mouth, and she landed on the ground.

She was falling out of a window, and into a boy's arms. She looked up at him, and noticed he had brown hair, and jade eyes. His eyes were beautiful, she noticed and flushed slightly.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"I'm fine. I was just escaping from some bad men who were after me! My name is Euphie!" She said sweetly.

"I'm-" The boy said but the girl cut him off.

"Don't tell me. I know, you're famous. Suzaku Kururugi, right?" Euphie guessed, giggling.

* * *

The dreamer awoke, panting slightly. She wiped her brow, and realized it was morning by glancing at the sun outside.

Her blue-violet eyes looked over at a picture sitting on the desk next to the clock. She was in the picture, along with a boy with messy brown hair and blue-violet eyes, wearing a mischievous grin on his face. 'Kaito,' She thought briefly.

"What a dream...it was so long, too," She said, sighing. This was sixteen-year old Nakamori Aoko. She had strange dreams, too, just like Kudou Shinichi did, though the two of them had never actually met before. So neither of them were aware that there were others who experienced the same thing before. Both of them thought they were alone.

"That girl...she seemed a lot like me. It was sad, though. She was killed by her own brother," She mused, wondering what was with her dreams lately. They had taken on a sad theme, ever since her sixteenth birthday. It felt like she had to remember them, somehow.

It was a Saturday, so she didn't have school. She figured she would call Kaito, and see whether he was occupied. She hoped not. She wanted to spend more time with him, but lately, he was so busy. Ever since Kaitou Kid reappeared, he'd been acting strange.

She went downstairs, and called his number. "Is Kaito there?"

A male voice came over the line. "Yes, Aoko?" He said jocularly.

"Are you...busy today? If you're not, I was just wondering if we could..."

"Go somewhere? Sure thing, princess," Kaito joked. "I'm not occupied with anything at the moment."

Aoko winced a little upon hearing the same title used in her dreams. "I'll be over shortly." She said.

Little did she know she _was _Euphemia li Britannia. At least, in the past.

* * *

Five years had passed since Lelouch had died. Suzaku couldn't believe it; and six years also had passed since the death of Euphemia.

He got up, and a gray cat with traces of white in its fur followed him, meowing softly. He picked up Arthur, but upon doing so received a scratch to the face.

He sighed, and let go of the cat, who darted away from him. "You could be a _little _more friendly, you know," He chided.

Arthur's only response was to hiss and arch his back at Suzaku.

He scooped out food for the cat and placed it in a bowl, and set the bowl down. "You're all I have left of her, besides her pen. Soon, you'll be joining her." He said softly.

Arthur was in poor health at the moment. He was very sick, and the vet he'd taken him to said he only had a few more months to live. It was a bad cancer. Suzaku hoped there was a chance for him to recover from it.

Suzaku sat down in a chair, far enough away from the feline menace. He absent-mindedly slurped some coffee as he did so. His thoughts were on the nightmare he'd had last night. In the nightmare, Lelouch had shown up and started speaking to him. It was a friendly conversation at first, but then Lelouch started accusing him of murdering him.

He had also said that that wasn't what Nunnallly wanted. Suzaku had accepted the insults Lelouch had given him. Things had turned twisted when Lelouch's eye started to bleed and his eyeball rolled out of its socket.

* * *

_"You're a bastard, Suzaku." A soft voice said, scary in its intensity._

_Suzaku looked around and was horrified to spot Lelouch standing near him. "What do you mean? You asked me to do it!"_

_"Don't be a liar. You know full well I was meant to live a long and happy life with Nunnally. You cut it short." Lelouch spat. "Don't think I won't prosecute you in my next life, because I will!"_

_"Lelouch?" Suzaku said. "This is impossible! You're dead!"_

_"Tell Nunnally I still miss her. And tell Kallen that she needs to believe in herself. And as for you, you should just rot in hell, you traitor!" Lelouch growled._

_"You're right. I deserve it."_

_"Go ahead. Blame yourself. I was always sick of covering for you. It got very tiresome." Lelouch said in disgust, as he spat at Suzaku's feet._

_"Really. You should have just turned yourself in," He continued, as his eye started to bleed profusely and then his eye fell out of its socket. He started to laugh hysterically before a horrified Suzaku's eyes._

_"Who are you to tell me that? You murdered Euphie!" Suzaku retorted._

_"You never knew the whole story, Suzaku. I had no choice. Besides, how would Nunnally feel about this?" He said, and beckoned his now bloodstained hand to the shadows, where a new figure stood._

_Nunnally joined Lelouch. "You're a traitor, Suzaku. I wish you'd never killed my brother. Murderer, murderer!" She chanted._

_Euphemia entered, too. She was dressed up in her pink dress, except it was covered in blood, and she had a red glow around her eyes. "You betrayed my trust, Suzaku! I wanted you to protect Lelouch and Nunnally! Even if my SAZ failed, my dream should have been your first goal! Instead, you decided to betray Lelouch. Even though I died, I saw what you did!"_

_"Stop this, Lelouch! You would never say such a thing! Neither would you, Euphie! Stop!" He protested, clutching his shoulders._

_"You deserve this, don't you? You never helped Lulu," Shirley added._

_"Yeah, you subjected my niisan to all kinds of torture," Rolo added, appearing too._

_Suzaku's eyes widened as the five figures advanced on him, all hurling accusations at him. Euphemia tried to shoot at him numerous times and riddled him full of bullet holes, while Shirley looked away from him and refused to talk to him. Nunnally pressed the button for Damocles and over and over, Suzaku saw the screaming of the people he'd murdered._

_"You didn't protect Lulu."_

_"You didn't help me defeat Britannia. Instead, you became that man's lackey."_

_"You just lied and used my niisan."_

_"I really don't love you, Suzaku! I never should've loved you, because you're nothing but a traitor!" Euphie said._

_"STOP IT!" Suzaku cried._

"Nothing. Just had nightmares, Arthur." He said, staring at the cat, who was watching him curiously through his golden eyes. "I only had those dreams because C.C. _had_ to touch a sensitive spot. Reincarnation is impossible."

'It's obvious that all those people were just productions of my guilty mind.'

"After all, Lelouch wanted me to kill him, so why would he accuse me?" Suzaku asked himself.

He sipped a bit of the coffee, and realized it had become warm. "Damn."

* * *

Shinichi finally realized something. "That boy in the dream...the one in the mask, and the guy who got stabbed... are related to me. I'm convinced that that guy who got stabbed was me, and the other guy was the one who took my life in the past. But, he sounded so sad when he did it. He murdered me."

"What the heck am I saying?" He said, laughing and shaking it off. "I mean, _me_, the great detective, being murdered by someone else? That's absurd."


	5. Chapter 5 Other questions

A/N:I'm back for more Kaifuku, _baby_! That was a little...odd. Anyway, let me tell you one thing some of you probably already noticed: Shinichi will _not like _Suzaku when they meet. Just a headsup. Put yourself in his shoes. Edited 12/12/13. New chapter is coming up soon within the next few days. :D

* * *

Chapter 5 More questions

"I'm sure of it now," Shinichi said again to himself. '_If it was only once that I'd had that nightmare, it would've been easier to ignore. But since they have occurred over and over, these dreams certainly seem more credible.'_

"What was the name of the guy in that dream?" He muttered, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't remember, but it started with the letter L. Oh, well."

He climbed out of bed, and upon doing so, nearly fell to the floor. "That's right...I have something to do with Ran today. I'd better get ready!" He said.

A few hours later, Shinichi went up to his best friend's apartment, and knocked on her door. He grinned upon seeing her open the door and smile at him.

"Oh, Shinichi! Come on in, I'm just about ready to head out," She said, letting him in.

Her father was watching TV as always, his mind directed to the beautiful pop star, Yoko Okino. "Oh, Yoko-chan...she is _so _beautiful, right, Ran?" He slurred.

Shinichi sighed audibly. It was quite obvious that Ran's father had been drinking again last night. Honestly, why did she still live with him after all she had gone through? He hated how much he drank and drank, without as a care about how his daughter felt about it. For some reason, whenever he thought about him, he felt a strange sense of rage come through him.

It appeared that her father had also noticed Shinichi. "Ran, you brought _him_ over again?"

Shinichi decided to speak up before her father could start ranting at him. "Ojisan, I'm only here for a bit. Relax," He said calmly.

Kogoro frowned. "Don't lay a hand on my daughter." He warned.

"Otousan, don't act like that!" Ran said defensively, coming back into the room. "Please don't treat Shinichi like that!"

She turned to Shinichi. "Shinichi, let's go. I invited someone else to come along with us." She said, taking his arm and not noticing the faint blush on his cheeks.

'_Oh, jeez. It's probably Sonoko again.'_

* * *

Sure enough, Sonoko came to join them on their trip to the mall. She greeted them both. "Well, looks like you decided to bring your husband along for the ride, huh, Ran?" She said sarcastically.

Ran blushed. "Sonoko, will you please stop saying that?" She said faintly.

Shinichi just turned away, hoping this trip would be over as soon as possible. The last _thing _he needed was to spend time with Sonoko. Would this day become any better soon?

As if to disprove him, another wave of pain hit his left eye. Alarmed, he yelped. "Dammit! Not again!"

Sonoko looked surprised. "Geez, what's _wrong with him,_ Ran?"

Ran looked at him in concern. "He's been like that lately. He doesn't tell me why his eye hurts him like that. Shinichi, do you need to see a doctor?" She pressed, kneeling down beside him and looking at him with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Ran. Don't go worrying about me, all right?" He said softly, smiling at her.

"Are you sure?" She asked again.

His response was to nod. "I'm fine. Really, Ran."

Ran just smiled.

A few minutes later, Ran, Shinichi, and Sonoko had all arrived at their destination.

The first place Ran and Sonoko chose to go to was a clothing store for women. Shinichi decided to wait outside.

He took out his detective novel and started reading at the spot where he had left off. He didn't even notice a dark-haired girl with blue-violet eyes glancing his way...

* * *

Aoko Nakamori noticed a boy who looked like Kaito, no, very similar, reading a book on a bench.

For some reason, he seemed very familiar.

Then, a voice spoke in her head.

**"It's him, isn't it? It's Lelouch."**

Aoko's eyes widened. Had she just heard a voice in her head?

"**It's definitely him. I'm sure of it!"**

_'Who are you?' _Aoko thought.

"I'm a part of you, Aoko."

Aoko shook her head. She must be losing her mind...


	6. Chapter 6 Forgiveness

**A/N:...I finished Code Geass R2. I watched it to the end...and I had the tissues beside me. God, it was so sad! Poor Lelouch! Poor Shirley! Poor Euphie! (Even though she died in the first season!)**

**My family made fun of me for crying, but that just made me mad, because they don't understand the depth of CG.**

**Well, that strengthened my resolve to update this story! Anyhow, edited on 12/16/13, made a few changes to it and made it better.**

* * *

Chapter 6 Forgiveness

Last time...

_That boy is really Lelouch. I just know it._

Aoko thought she was going bonkers. First, she had intense déjà vu, and now _this_? Voices in her head? That just didn't make sense; not at all. She was surely crazy. What would she tell Kaito-kun about such things? Surely he would find her crazy, too.

The boy she was watching did _look _a lot like Kaito. He wasn't even looking her way, though. Then, a second later, he was.

Brilliant blue orbs locked onto blue-violet orbs, and for a brief second, there was...recognition. Then, it faded as quickly as it had come, like the wind. Aoko wondered what that feeling of nostalgia was that had come over her for a few moments, and why it had felt so sad and heartwrenching-

"Oi, Aoko, what are you staring at?" Kaito asked, prodding his best friend, snapping her out of her trance.

"Oh, it's n-n-nothing. Nothing at all," She lied, her gaze still on the dark-haired boy.

Then, she looked away from him.

"Looking at some boy you like, huh, Bakoko?" He teased.

"Shut up, Bakaito!" Aoko cried, annoyed at her friend's teasing.

* * *

_That girl was looking at me again. Baro. You're only a detective in your dreams._

Shinichi turned his attention back to his book, and read a bit more. His blue eyes glanced at his watch, then he let out a sigh. Ran and Sonoko were taking an infinitely long time with their shopping. Women and their need for shopping. He'd _never_ understand why they loved it so much.

Sonoko, especially, seemed to have...what _was_ the word again? He wracked his mind for a word he'd discovered while using a dictionary before. Oh, yes, oniomania. Sonoko definitely had that disorder. It seemed like every time Ran was with her, she always had to shop for something.

He looked back at his book, and became absorbed in it once more, and then, around twenty minutes later...he heard their voices.

"Shinichi, we're back." Ran said, snapping him out of his book.

"I finally got the _right dress_, Ran." Sonoko gushed, "I mean, did you see the line for all the other dresses? It took so long for me to find the right one exactly, but I..."

Shinichi rolled his eyes and stood up to walk with his best friend, not exactly enthused about being around the person he hated.

"Shinichi, is your eye still bothering you?" Ran asked in concern.

Shinichi shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

Sonoko stared at him in wonder. "I never thought you would have problems with your eye, Kudou. Is this some sort of excuse?"

Shinichi glared at her. "Of course not! Did you think I would not stoop myself so low to lie about something this serious?"

Ran scowled at them both, and they seemed to catch the meaning, and immediately shut up. She thought about the dreams she'd had the night before while she chatted with Sonoko.

* * *

_She was dreaming again. A man with white hair was talking to a girl with orange hair, and she was shaking in fear._

_She pointed a gun at a boy with black hair, and tried to shoot him. She missed, though, and fell into his arms, sobbing. He consoled her, and his purple eyes were so very familiar, and comforting._

_"It's all right...you can simply forget it all." He whispered, holding her close to him._

_"No, I don't want to forget, Lulu." She whimpered, allowing more tears to spill out of her eyes._

Ran awoke. For some reason, that girl reminded her of herself._ 'That boy reminds me...of Shinichi. But that's silly. There's no way he could be Shinichi.'_

She dismissed the dreams as idle fantasy, but then she gasped when she remembered what Shinichi had told her a day ago or so.

_"I've been having violent dreams, Ran. Sad dreams." He said, not looking her way._

"What kind of dreams?" She asked again.

"A girl was lying in a pool of her own blood. She died, and her name was Shirley." Shinichi said, shuddering slightly.

_That's right! He's been having those dreams, too. I'm not the only one._

She wondered inwardly whether there was a connection between the two of them.

* * *

"Nice to see our little devicer again." Lloyd said, staring at the twenty-three year old young man in front of him. "Suzaku, you have grown up, haven't you?" He slapped his back reassuringly.

Suzaku smiled warmly. He still remembered his days piloting the Lancelot, and Euphie...

"Please, Lloyd, don't remind me." He said sadly.

"Ever since Princess Euphemia died, you haven't been in love with anyone." Cecile said worriedly.

Suzaku remained silent. "She was special, Cecile. Anyway, I came to ask you two a weird question. Is it possible that there are other universes besides this one?"

There was silence in the room for a few minutes.

"It's possible," Lloyd admitted.

"You think so?" Suzaku said hopefully.

"We'll look into it. It is theoretically possible, though."

"Why are you asking this?" Cecile said, her clear blue eyes piercing his.

"Smart as always. Actually, someone told me it might be possible that Euphie might be reincarnated, and I was only wondering if it might be possible," He confessed.

"Oh...well, I'll see what I can do." Lloyd said quietly.

"Thanks, anyway." Suzaku said, and strode away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kallen was walking around. She was unsurprised to see a familiar blond man walking towards her.

"Hi, Kallen. Where's Suzaku at?" Gino said cordially, waving a hand at her.

"Hello, Weinburg." She said coldly.

"What's with the cold attitude? We've known each other long enough now. You could be a little more friendly." He said in mock offense.

"I'm sorry." Kallen said sarcastically.

"Are you still not over that guy-Lelouch? It's been five years. He's dead." Gino said. "You have to move on."

"He's not dead! He's been-never mind." Kallen said, stopping before she spat out the thing she had planned to keep to herself. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know besides her, Suzaku, and C.C.

"Well, you know, you need to move on." Gino said.

_What would you say if you were here, Lelouch? Would you tell me those things? What are you like now?_

"Hachoo!" Shinichi sneezed loudly.

"Are you catching a cold, Shinichi?" Ran asked.

"No, I think _someone was thinking about me_." He said, rubbing his nose.

_Are you a kind person? A cruel person? Or could you be both?_


	7. Chapter 7 Confirmations

A/N:I am ready to revive this story from the dead, with TWO new chapters. You heard me, _two_. Now, let's get on with the awesome-ass ness! O.O No comment...as to why I said something so random. -"

* * *

Chapter 7 Confirmations

_Last time..._

_"What are you like now, Lelouch?"_

A certain someone was thinking over the dreams he'd been having for the past year. "What do they all mean? I don't understand them at all!" He said in annoyance.

The fact that he had been having these recurring dreams meant that it was possible that these things were memories of a past life. He had never told anyone, not even Ran, who he considered to be his closest friend.

He felt guilty about it, but he thought that she couldn't help him. He decided he could figure it out on his own. After all, with his intelligent mind that he had used to solve so many murders, he should be able to do it himself, right?

That was why he was surprised when_ Ran _made the first move. One day, as they were walking, she stopped him. "Shinichi, it's about time you told me about your dreams." She said seriously.

"Why? It has no relevance to you, Ran," Shinichi said.

"Yes, it does, Shinichi. I've had these dreams all the time; dreams about a girl with orange hair who is dying in a pool of her own blood. You've been having the same dreams as I have been having, right? I've had these dreams for nearly a year. It's about time we work something out." Ran said. "Are these dreams real, or not?"

Shinichi's blue eyes widened. He was not expecting this from Ran at all. "Ran. All right, I'll tell you." He told her most of the dreams he'd been having, leaving out a few. "Why don't we ask people about this?"

"Do you think it's a past life?" Ran said in wonder.

"I'm beginning to think so. Why else would these dreams haunt me, unless there was a purpose behind them?" Shinichi said pensively.

"What if this is all true, though? Then...I..." Ran began.

"I don't know. I'm just not sure, Ran." Shinichi admitted, happy to get this thing off his chest.

As the two of them kept talking, Shinichi bumped into someone.

"Hi, there! You look like someone I know! Would you happen to be the great meitantei, Kudou Shinichi?" A voice said, tauntingly.

Shinichi flinched. Somehow, he didn't like that tone. "Who the heck are you?"

He saw a boy with messy brown hair that looked a lot like him, grinning cheekily. "Hi there! I'm Kuroba Kaito! Nice to meet you," He said jocularly.

Ran stiffened. Somehow, she didn't like this boy, even though they had never met before. _I don't know why..._

"Ran? Ran? Is something wrong?" Shinichi said, tapping Ran on the shoulder, who was staring at Kaito in fear. She snapped out of it the second he touched her again.

"Oh...it's nothing, Shinichi," She said.

"It must be something. Something from your dreams?" He asked.

"Yes." Ran whispered back.

"Dreams?" Kaito repeated Shinichi's words. "What kinds of dreams? Strange dreams?"

"Y-Yes..." Ran said slowly, not sure if she could trust this person. "I believe...we've met in a past life."

"I don't know. But with such a pretty girl like you, I wonder..." Kaito said, starting to flirt with her.

"Hey, Hey," Shinichi said.

"Oh, you have a thing for her, don't you?" Kaito teased.

Somehow, an image came to Shinichi's mind.

_"Oh, look at that face! That's the face of a man who's had his woman taken from him!" A man with white hair said to that same dark-haired boy._

_"Where the hell is Shirley?" He demanded._

_"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."_

_'Why does he feel so familiar? Was he...'_

"What's the matter?" Kaito asked.

"Oh, nothing." Shinichi said dismissively, shaking his head. The last thing he wanted was to tell a perfect stranger that he had met him before in a past life. "Ran, why are you acting so weird around him?" He whispered into Ran's ear.

"I don't know...I feel tense around him. It's like a sixth sense somehow. I don't know how to explain it," She said cautiously.

"Oh, Ran, be logical," He chided.

"I just don't trust him."  
"Just give him a chance." Shinichi added.

"Oi, Aoko! We're over here!" Kaito yelled. Apparently, it seemed like he was calling one of his friends over to meet them.

Before that, Shinichi's eyes widened as he saw the girl he'd seen a year ago who looked like a deadringer for Ran. His blue eyes met hers.

_It's that boy again. The one who looks a lot like Kaito.. .._

_"That's Lelouch. Should we talk to him? I think you should talk to Lelouch..."_

"His name is Lelouch?"

_"In a way, he's Lelouch. And in a way, he's not."_

_"What the hell are you talking about?"_

Aoko knew she was going crazy. She'd never talked to Kaito about this. He would probably just believe she was joking and laugh at her.

* * *

As if there was some kind of connection between the two of them, a voice spoke in Shinichi's head.

_"Hey, there, Detective."_

'Who are you? And, why the heck am I talking to myself?'

"Who knows? This is your past self. Why have you been ignoring your dreams, and pretending they don't exist?" The voice taunted. It sounded arrogant and cold. It was definitely a male voice.

_'What the hell are you talking about?'_

_"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You know all about those dreams, the dreams you have where the boy gets killed, right? Well, that was me."_

'So now your soul has gone into my body?'

"Not exactly. You see, I'm you. " The voice said. "I am Lelouch, and I am you." The voice took on a sad tone. "Ah, that's her. That's Euphemia."

_Who is Euphemia?_

_"She was a girl that I was fond of. You were fond of her."_

**'Can you speak some sense here?'**

"_Oh, well, detective. You'll figure out the truth sooner or later. You already have been."_

Before he knew it, the voice had disappeared from his mind.

"Um, I'm Nakamori Aoko. It's nice to meet you. I think I've met you before, though." She admitted.

"You've seen me on TV? I'm Kudou Shinichi, and I am a detective, after all," He said cheerfully.

"You are? How interesting." Aoko said.

"Do you read a lot of detective novels?" Kaito teased, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Shut up." Shinichi hissed.

He reached out a hand and shook her hand.

_I forgive you._

_"I'm sorry, Euphemia. I will make up for it in this life."_

"Oh, by the way..." Shinichi began.

"Do you..." Aoko added.

"Believe... we've..." Shinichi continued.

"Met before?" Aoko finished. "Like..."

"Not in this.." Ran continued.

"Life?" Kaito added. "Yes, you do seem familiar," He added, pointing to Ran. "You seem kind of familiar." He said, pointing at Shinichi, "Even the first time I saw you on TV, I felt a sense of...familiarity."

"I know I've seen you before. You were watching me a year ago, but it feels like I've been acquainted with you already." Shinichi confessed to Aoko.

"She and I...are childhood friends, but it feels like we've known each other for more than one life." Shinichi explained, glancing at Ran who nodded.

"In a way, yes." Ran said.

"So, strange dreams are what bind us all together, huh? Well, I can guarantee that I don't have any strange dreams." Kaito stated. He was lying, of course. How many times had he lied? He'd lied about being Kaitou Kid, about loving Aoko, when he had familiarity.

Sometimes, a green-haired girl would be in his dreams. They were quite infrequent, though. Now that he'd met these people... "Aoko, what kinds of dreams do you have?" He inquired.

"Dreams about a girl with pink hair, who was killed by her brother." Aoko confessed.

"That's horrible." Ran said sympathetically. "Do you think maybe we were these people in past lives?"

"Who knows?" Aoko said. "I think we were reborn."

_That doesn't sound like an irrational idea._

"All right, but what do we do about it?"

* * *

"Suzaku, how did you sleep?" Nunnally asked.

"It's a beautiful day, huh, Nunnally?" The now twenty-three old man said, rubbing his green eyes and looking at the trees outside. "Hey, the birds are watching us." He said.

A young sparrow came flying down from a tree and landed on Nunnally's finger.

"Oh, it's so nice!" She said in admiration.

The bird chirped at her before it flew away.

"I think you scared it by talking." Suzaku said, and the two of them laughed. Her laughter was beautiful. It reminded him so much of Euphemia.

_What if I found Euphemia's reincarnation? No, that's impossible, she's dead. She has been, for six long, painfully tortuous years._

"Suzaku?" Nunnally spoke up. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." Suzaku said.

Kallen was watching them. "Well, Lelouch did love me. Or, did he use me in order to replace Shirley?"

_Lelouch, now that I know that you're reincarnated, we're going to be together again_.

But that was naive.

"Kallen," Suzaku said.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's Lloyd. He's figured out the device, and we can go."

"I guess that means I'll be coming along, too." C.C. said ambiguously.

"What the hell do you want?" Kallen growled.

"Oh, rude as ever. I just want to come along for the ride." C.C. said.

"I think I'll bring along Anya and Gino." Suzaku said.

_No...no,no...don't bring them._


	8. Chapter 8 Revelations

_A/N:Hello, readers! Here is the next chappie in my reincarnation fic! Yes, the main pairing IS LelouchXKallen, or ShinichiXKallen (Shinka), despite some Shirlulu undertones. This chapter takes place a year later, when the main story begins, but he will NOT become Conan. Sorry, readers, but I prefer him as a seventeen-year old._

* * *

Chapter 8 Revelations

One year later...

_'No, no, NO, do not bring them along, Suzaku.'_

Kallen thought. However, her pleas went on deaf ears as those two she hated so much showed up:Weinburg, and phone nerd. That was her nickname for Anya Alstreim, because it honestly seemed like she only lived for her phone. Hearing her do nothing but text, text, text could really get on your nerves.

She sat in the back of the car, trying _hard _to ignore Weinburg's constant chatter, Alstreim's endless texting, and Suzaku's glares. That told her that she should behave, because she still acted like she was eighteen, even though she was now nearly twenty-three years old.

"So, Ms. Stadtfeld, what do you like most about Area-I mean _Japan_?" Gino began awkwardly, trying hard to start a conversation with the pugnacious redhead, which could be quite difficult; especially when said redhead didn't really care about himthat much.

"First of all, Weinburg, it is _Japan._ Second, my name is Kallen Kouzuki._ Remember it_," She hissed, not paying any more attention to him. Her mind was focused on Lelouch, and on finding him.

She wondered who he was, or what he looked like. Would he look so much like Lelouch that he would almost seem to be a twin, or would he look totally different? Would he act exactly like him, or radically different altogether? The thoughts swirled around in her mind, but the answers she got were vague and not worth considering at all.

"Sorry, Ms. _Kouzuki_. You could at least be friendly, you know. Just because you were held prisoner briefly by Britannia doesn't mean you should treat me like dirt. I didn't try to attack you, or try to inject you with drugs-" He said, casting a cold glance Suzaku's way.

"So what? Your country conquered my nation!" Kallen said.

"Your grudge is outdated. Area 11, technically no longer exists. Thus, you should move on," Alstreim said tonelessly, her crimson orbs silently sending a challenge Kallen's way. She was sticking up for her friend, and not letting Kallen bully him.

Kallen didn't respond, and her gaze drifted over to C.C., who sat in her seat watching them all with fascination. She was ageless like always, whereas Kallen was getting older. "Immortality must be nice." She said.

"It used to be for me. But you humans always want to live forever, don't you? It's no walk in the park," The witch replied, picking off a mushroom that was on her piece of pizza and eating it.

"Immortality?" Gino questioned. "Sorry, but that doesn't happen."

"Really? I've been shot in the head, crushed to death, stabbed, and every time I come back. Nothing kills me. You want to see proof?" She challenged, pulling out one of Kallen's guns and pointing it at her forehead.

"Okay, let's change the subject," Suzaku said, trying to divert the awkwardness that had overtaken everyone. "Why don't you behave?" He hissed at the witch, who didn't bat an eye at him.

"You're not my boss. Only Lelouch is. So just shut up," C.C retorted, chewing on another piece of pizza. She knew she was right, too. Of all her contractors, only Lelouch had not gone insane. Nor had any of them changed her life as much as he. His mother had been selfish, and Mao insane, but Lelouch was different.

She had been wondering as much as Kallen what he would be like, reincarnated. Would he look or act exactly like Lelouch? Or would he be totally different? All she knew was that he was male, and was Japanese. Those two facts were both important, but at the same time, they were as inconspicuous as the color of a person's suit. There were thousands of Japanese boys, so how was she to know who he was?

She knew she would just know, somehow. Or maybe she would leave that up to Kallen, since said redhead seemed to be Lelouch's soul mate, and her restraint. Without him, though, none could really tame Kallen. She did need him, since he hadn't fulfilled his end of the bargain.

But would she want to die now? Now, after having met so many interesting humans, did she really wish to die? Perhaps, but she only lived for Lelouch now, as did Kallen. Maybe someone else had been reborn alongside Lelouch.

That orangette? His half-sister? She could only guess. It was a vague notion that she could barely grasp.

Meanwhile...

* * *

Ran stared at her best friend, as the two were walking to school. She glanced at him, wondering if he would even notice her nervousness over his delight at being remembered by his fangirls. "Shinichi? Are you...um...busy tonight?" She uttered.

Shinichi had not been thinking about his fangirls at all. His mind had been occupied on who he used to be. His name had been _Touche Lampent_? No, that wasn't it. Legouche...no, Lelouch...maybe...no, wait, that might be that black-haired boy's name...

_Aha, you have stumbled across the answers, detective! Congrats, you have finally figured me out! I am Lelouch, your past self._

_'Okay, Lelouch, mind telling me WHY you continue to haunt my brain? I don't want to hear you all the time. I have other things on my mind, after all...like that new detective novel, Ran, Ran...'_

_'Ran this, Ran that. You like her, so why not ask her out?'_

_'Fine. She probably has someone else, though.'_

"Ran...do you have anyone...that you like?" Shinichi uttered nervously, his heart racing at a million miles an hour. What would her response be?

She stopped, and looked at him. "What? Who do I like? Who knows...a boy who is kind, intelligent, funny, thoughtful, dense, and sometimes cold." She said.

Shinichi flushed. "The girl I like is...kind, smart, caring, dedicated, and perseveres." He said.

"Who is that girl, Shinichi?" Ran pressed, her face full of realization.

"I think it's...y-"

"Hey, Ran!" One of her friends called, ruining Shinichi's love confession.

_Damn it!_

He cursed inwardly. "_Just as I was going to...ouch_!" He flinched, clutching his eye, as it throbbed again. Now it had been getting worse and worse. "Damn it all!"

Ran stopped yakking to her friend, and looked over at him. "Shinichi, is it your eye again? Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" She said again, examining his eye. "Oh no..."

"What is it?" Shinichi said.

"Your eye is bleeding a little..." Ran said. "Here, let's go to the nurse," She said, taking her childhood friend by the arm, oblivious to his blush that was now covering half his face.

"Ran...I believe the girl I like...is you," He said softly.

She stopped at that. "Eh? Are you serious, Shinichi?" She said, then she saw his beet-red face, and blushed as well. "Ah...judging by your face, I think you're not lying. I like you, too."

"Are you free tonight?" Shinichi asked, wondering whether she would say yes. Despite his tendency of being a murder magnet, he wondered if once he could go to a public place without something going wrong. Once, he'd gotten sick at a stadium for some reason, but the instant he'd left, he'd felt better.

"Of course I am. Tropical Land is the place, right?" She uttered, looking him right in the face, causing him to blush more.

"Yes...as soon as my damned eye stops bleeding," He said, as the nurse applied a bandage over it. "I don't want a bandage over my eye, Ran-I'm just fine!" He protested.

"Shinichi, I'm just concerned about you! Hey, your eye isn't bleeding anymore," She said, and sure enough, it had gone away.

Shinichi was still at a loss for words as to explain his bleeding eye. '_Wonder why it happens to me...'_

_I could tell you, detective. But you wouldn't believe me._

_'Shut up.'_

_Make me, detective._

* * *

Suzaku, Anya, Gino, and Kallen all got out of the car after finding a hotel. Gino and Anya decided to go to a pizza place and pick up dinner, much to C.C.'s delight. This left only Suzaku and Kallen.

"Kallen, I think I know why we're going here. This is about Lelouch, right?" He said.

She nodded. "Yes. It is. But, this doesn't concern you."

"It does. But I don't want you to end up disappointed. We might not find him right away," Suzaku said.

As he continued interrogating her, Kallen's eyes alighted on a sign that said in Japanese 'Tropical Land is 2 miles away from here'!

"Hey, look, Suzaku...an amusement park! That might be nice, huh?" She said.

"I guess so, but we're not little kids!" Suzaku said.

Kallen just grinned cheekily. "Yeah, right, let's just have fun! All right?"

Suzaku sighed, giving in to the wily redhead's desire once more.

* * *

"Shinichi, where do you want to go first? The coaster?" Ran asked.

Shinichi almost agreed to it, but then the annoying voice in his head increased a little more.

_**If I were you, detective, I wouldn't go. Something bad could happen.**_

_'Yeah, right. When did my conscience start becoming a fortune teller?'_

_**'Just trust me on this one.'**_

_Fine._

"Um, Ran. I think that we should postpone that. How about...the Ferris wheel or something?" He offered.

She smiled. "Okay, whatever you say, Meitantei-san."

He only flushed, unaware of the fact that a certain duo was also headed their way.

"Okay, I'm going to wait for Anya and Gino here." Suzaku said.

"I'm not waiting for them, I'll go on ahead," Kallen said, running off. She looked around the large crowd, until she spotted something she absolutely hadn't seen for a long time. "A...ferris wheel? Wow...this brings back memories of Naoto-niisan! I'm definitely going on!" She exclaimed, walking over to the line.

Ran and Shinichi were waiting as well. They got into a car, and were getting settled beside each other when a voice asked, "Excuse me. Is this car entirely taken?"

Shinichi looked up to see the redheaded girl from his dreams staring at him and Ran in interest. "Not really."

The girl smiled. "That's good. I'm Kallen. Kallen Kouzuki," She said, extending her hand to meet his.


	9. Chapter 9 Discoveries

A/N:Hello, my fair readers! It is time to update, again! Edited as of 1/5/14. Gotta clean my writing from three years ago up. XD

Chapter 9 Finding Lelouch?

* * *

_Last time..._

_The red-headed girl smiled. "That's good. I'm Kallen Kouzuki." She said, extending her hand to meet his._

For a second, Shinichi was dumbstruck. He couldn't _believe_ what he was seeing. The girl who had been in his dreams was standing right in front of him. That was impossible. He dismissed his doubts. 'Whatever, I can at least afford to be friendly.'

He shook her hand and smiled nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Kouzuki-san. I'm Kudo, Kudo Shinichi," He said, flashing her a warm smile. She was looking at him in interest and curiosity. It seemed to be more than just the usual interest a person would have in looking over a stranger and trying to get to know him or her.

There was something odd about this boy. She didn't know why, but he just felt so...familiar; like she'd met him somewhere before. His voice, the look on his face, and the look in his eyes...all were memorable.

She took him in. He seemed to be fairly average, with brown hair that was slightly neat, the rest just spiked up around his face. It gave him a mischievous look. His eyes were a brilliant blue, and he was of average height. His frame seemed to be well-built, especially his legs, she noticed. He seemed to be quite strong.

The girl was pretty forgettable. Somehow, she exuded the same air as a lot of Britannian girls-the pretty but dumb girl. Still, she had a kind look in her eyes. She was eying Kallen in interest, but there was a trace of jealousy in her eyes, "I'm Mouri Ran," The brunette said, shaking hands with Kallen.

"Kouzuki Kallen," Kallen informed cordially. After all, they didn't _seem_ like bad people. Plus, they were Japanese, and she felt much more relaxed speaking Japanese than English, since it was her native language.

She took a seat just opposite from 'Shinichi' and Ran. She noticed the boy, (Kudou, wasn't it?) studying her with a thoughtful expression on his face. That was odd. Why the sudden change in personality?

His gaze met hers, and she felt intimidated by his gaze, which was piercing. "What are you looking at?" She said, feeling slightly irritated. Didn't this boy know that staring at others was rude?

He jumped. "Oh, nothing. Just, your hair is unusual...Kouzuki-san," He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

_'He's hiding something. Why was he staring at me, though?' _She thought in annoyance.

"Shinichi, how is your eye?" Ran asked.

"It's been hurting me a lot more lately," He replied, turning away from Kallen. "But I assure you I'm fine, Ran," He said, smiling gently at her. He then took her hand.

Ran blushed slightly. This made Kallen a little uncomfortable. Was she intruding on their...date?

"Which eye hurts you, Kudou-san?" She asked, out of pure and total curiosity. He could just be suffering from eye problems.

"My left. It throbs from time to time," He replied.

Kallen's eyes widened. Something about "eye pain" sounded familiar, but _she couldn't remember where she had heard it from. She put it out of her mind._

"We're up high, Shinichi. The people look like ants from up here." Ran said excitedly, nudging Shinichi, who merely looked on in boredom.

"We can see a lot of people from up here, huh, Ran? When I look down from here and see all of these people, it makes me wonder: Why do people kill others?" Shinichi said, but it sounded more like it was to himself.

Kallen was taken aback by the seriousness of his question. What had happened to the cheerful, yet, shy boy from earlier? "Who knows?" She said, her eyes downcast.

"Murder is wrong, no matter what." He said quietly, his eyes filled with a burning fire.

_Wait...his eye hurts him, too? Wait a second...could he be? Is he really...? But, that's impossible. He looks nothing like Lelouch, and he doesn't act like him at all._

Shinichi heard the voice in his head continue to talk to him, but he ignored it, and told it to shut up.

_"Say this word, Kudou. Q1."_

_'Why the hell should I do that? For all I know, you're just a figment of my imagination.'_

"Just do it," The voice said imperiously.

"Q**...1**?" He said in confusion, repeating the words. The letter Q sounded hard on his tongue, since he had never really pronounced any words with Q in them at all. He had learned a bit of English, but he had found Q and L to be hard for him to pronounce.

"What?" Kallen asked, looking at him in suspicion.

"Nothing." He said, shaking his head. Shinichi had noticed there was something...off about this _woman_ the second she had come on the ride. 'It wasn't just the red hair,' He thought in amusement. Something about her seemed dubious. The way she was looking at him now...was almost like she recognized him.

* * *

He supposed that wasn't an odd event. After all, he _had_ become very well-known around his hometown for solving many cases (and throughout most of Japan, for that matter,) but he didn't think foreigners would recognize him.

She certainly didn't seem like a foreigner, though. She spoke fluent Japanese, and seemed to act just like one of them. Her clothing was a little outlandish, he supposed. It seemed rather fancy for going to an amusement park. Was she all she claimed to be-

Then, a searing pain hit his left eye again. He cursed, and rubbed it again. This time, however, the pain lasted longer than it usually did, becoming more intense. It felt like he'd been thrust into a hot oven. He covered his eye, and flinched as it started to bleed a little. 'Not again! Stupid eye!' Shinichi cursed in his mind.

"Shinichi? Is it your eye again? Don't worry, I think I have a tissue somewhere," Ran said, digging around in her pocket, and pulling a tissue out and handing it to him.

"Thanks," He said, holding it over his eye. He hated only being able to see with one eye, but as long as the pain lasted, what choice did he have? He could see shock and suspicion written on Kouzuki-san's face. Then, just like that, the pain in his eye was gone. He mopped his brow and lowered the tissue from his face.

"Shinichi, are you truly all right?" Ran asked, dear, sweet, Ran, always worrying over him.

'I'm not worth so much effort,' He thought darkly.

"I think so," He lied.

Then, the ride stopped. Ran and Shinichi got off, and Kallen followed.

She eyed Kudou in wonder. Should she ask the question that was on her mind? Could he be Lelouch? It's not impossible, after all. Should she ask him? Something akin to determination arose in her mind. "Kudou, do you mind if I could talk to you briefly? In private?" She asked.

He looked at her and shook his head. "No, not at all. Wait here, Ran," He said, and Ran nodded silently. He followed, almost warily. He wondered just what she wanted to talk to him about. _If she's a fangirl, I politely refuse and walk away_.

Kallen walked for a little bit before stopping. She had come to a private spot that was secluded. "This looks like we'll be away from prying eyes," She said to herself, and then she turned to face him.

"I'd like some answers, Kudou," She said intensely.

* * *

He was silent for a moment, as if pondering what to say. "So, you want to declare your love for me?" He said dryly.

"What?"

"You must have recognized me, after all. I do appear a lot in the public eye," He said briefly.

"What? That's not it. I want to know, how long has your eye been hurting you?" Kallen asked.

"A year. Why?" Shinichi inquired.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen. Why?" Shinichi said.

"Why did you call me Q1? Do you even know what that means?" She pressed suspiciously.

For a few moments, Shinichi was silent. "You're in my dreams," He muttered.

"Hmm?"

"You're in my dreams, Kouzuki," He repeated, looking at her seriously. "All the time."

Kallen looked shocked, but her expression told him he should continue on, so he did.

"Many people are in my dreams. A girl with green hair, a man in a mask, a pinkette who was shot, and you, of course," He said.

"Could you be...no you can't be...are you..._Lelouch_?" Kallen uttered.

Shinichi was silent yet again. "Lelouch? Heh..maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Maybe I _used_ to be this Lelouch person."

"Thank god. I never believed it..but now," She said, tears spilling out of her eyes. "When you died, I-"

"Died? What are you talking about, Kouzuki-san! I'm still alive!" He said, raising his hands in confusion.

"You...don't remember?" Kallen whispered.

"Bits and pieces, Kouzuki-san. It's like a puzzle. I still haven't figured it all out yet." Shinichi replied astutely.

She smiled. It'd be better if he didn't remember how he died. "Lelouch...I.." She began. "I don't know how to say this...but..."

"It's Kudou Shinichi, Kouzuki-san. You must have cared a lot about this Lelouch. What was he to you?" Shinichi asked curiously.

"A good friend...a great leader. An unforgettable man. He made mistakes like any person would, but he was _always there for his friends and family."_

_He remained silent. What do I say? I know she was in my dreams, and I'm not sure whether I was that black-haired boy or not. It seems like she mistook me for him. _"I think...you're mistaken," He said quietly. "So, Kouzuki-san, can we go back to Ran yet? She might be getting worried." He said, trying to make an excuse so as to get away, but she wasn't fooled.

"Hold on a second, Kudou. Don't try and fool around with me. I know you're trying to get away because you're uncomfortable with me. Are you Lelouch's reincarnation? Answer me," She said, her eyes still full of tears.

"I think you shouldn't cry. It's embarassing for me, knowing I've made a girl cry. Well, it's better than if Ran was crying. Usually, she'd just kick me and beat me up. She's good at karate, so never make her angry," He joked.

"Really? Interesting, Kudou-san. I am strong, so don't lie to me," She said,"Oh, by the way...do I seem weird to you, being so familiar with you and treating you like someone else when you barely know me?" She said, aware of her cheeks flushing.

"Barou, it's all right with me. I get deja vu around you, so I think I knew you...from before. I'm still not quite certain. So, shall we go now?" He said softly, a smirk on his face.

She blushed lightly, and nodded. She was curious about Kudou, but she also wondered how Kururugi was doing. That big jerk was probably not having fun at all, hanging around C.C. and all.

* * *

"Achoo!" Suzaku sneezed loudly. He was eating ice cream and ended up sneezing all over Gino's ice cream. "Sorry about that."

C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Men are so filthy. Don't you think so, Alstreim?" She asked.

The pinkette looked up at her. "I think, sometimes." She said coldly.

"Hey, hey, I don't mind. I'll eat it, anyway," Gino said, much to everyone's disgust.

"I wonder if someone was criticizing me," Suzaku said, rubbing his nose._ Probably Kallen._

"So, Kudou, what do you like doing?" She asked.

"Playing soccer. I'm pretty good. Wanna see?" He offered, bouncing a soccer ball on his knee.

Kallen said, "Kudou, that may not be a good idea-"

Too late. The ball bounced away, and Shinichi darted off after it. Kallen slapped her hand against her forehead.

_Geez. Spontaneous much? But he seems like a nice, thoughtful guy. I'm still not entirely sure if he's Lelouch or not. He does seem smart, though. Maybe I was wrong. Lelouch can't be this reckless._

She raised an eyebrow upon seeing Shinichi return with the recalcritant ball in his hands. "So, how much did you knock over?" She teased.

"Not a lot, but it went pretty far," He said, sighing. "That was stupid of me, wasn't it?"

"Not really. You're pretty good at soccer. What else do you like?" Kallen asked.

"Do you like mysteries? I love Sherlock Holmes!" Shinichi gushed. Usually, any ordinary person would be compelled to either run in the opposite direction, or make some kind of excuse, like Ran. But Kallen was different. She wanted to know as much about this new Lelouch as possible, so she listened avidly.

_He seems earnest and kind._


	10. Chapter 10 Familiarities

A/N:Please leave reviews, they help me continue! It is appreciated greatly! Edited as of 1/12/14

* * *

Chapter 10 Acquaintances?

_"He seems earnest and kind."_

Kallen found herself watching the boy named Kudo Shinichi, as the latter talked all about his favorite Sherlock Holmes mysteries. He was very interesting, and rather fascinating at times. If he was Lelouch, then he was still as captivating as he had beenin his past life. She supposed even if he did change in some ways, in others he was the same.

Maybe she was being a bit too harsh, considering he didn't know that much about her right now, other than seeing her as a stranger he had barely even seen, much less known. "Lelouch," She began.

He blinked as he looked at her with those intelligent cobalt-blue eyes of his. "What is it, Kouzuki-san? Who is this Lelouch person?"

"It used to be you, in another life," Kallen explained. Much to her surprise, he just face-palmed.

"Kouzuki-san, I believe we have met somewhere before. I'm not entirely sure. But, I know you are familiar," He said softly. "So, how about we go back to see Ran? Oh, and by the way, that's not my name, silly. I'm Kudo Shinichi,"

Kallen smiled. "Sure thing," She slowly walked next to him, ignoring the looks several people sent them. She then noticed how Shinichi was looking over various things around the amusement park.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring straight ahead at something in front of him.

"Kudou, what are you looking at? Kudou?" She asked, and waved her hand in front of his face. She stopped upon seeing him turn to face her. His face was ashen.

"Kouzuki-san, I know... I've seen that person somewhere before." He said slowly.

"What? What is it?" She asked.

"Look. That person over there," He said, pointing to a couple of people who were passing by them. One was a middle-aged woman who appeared to be in her early fifties. She was talking avidly to the person who was in front of her. The person was a man in his early forties, and he was pushing a girl in a wheelchair. The girl seemed to be around Shinichi's age, but she had short blond hair and was smiling happily at everyone around her.

Kallen's eyes widened upon seeing the way Kudou was staring at the girl. She knew why. If he was Lelouch, then he would probably think that girl was a lot like..._Nunnally_! Was that why he was acting that way? "Do you recognize her?"

Shinichi nodded. "It seems nostalgic, somehow. I feel like I knew someone like her who was in a wheelchair," He said seriously. "Even though I've never known anyone like that."

Kallen stared at him in surprise, and listened as he described how she felt so familiar, and all traces of doubt were erased from her mind. There's no mistaking it now. He is Lelouch. He would recognize someone like Nunnally, since she was his sister.

Shinichi watched the girl in the wheelchair. The way she smiled, her hair, and her face... all of it seemed familiar. Images started coming into his mind, of a girl with brown hair and a warm smile on her face. She was sitting with a boy with black hair and he was holding her hand lovingly. She was blind and crippled. The girl in the wheelchair was just crippled, she could clearly see the boy who was watching her.

"Why is that boy watching me, Grandma?" A sweet voice asked. Shinichi's eyes widened.

"Who knows, dearie? Maybe he thinks you're attractive," The old woman said, and chuckled.

"That might be true," The girl in the wheelchair said, and she added, "Can we go talk to him? He seems nice."

The old woman paused for a second, as if contemplating what to say to such a request. "Well, he's a total stranger, dear. Are you really sure?" She asked.

The girl nodded. "I feel like he's a nice person."

Shinichi couldn't speak as the girl in the wheelchair was pushed towards him. He was somehow frozen. He felt dumbfounded by the whole familiarity of the scene. Could it have been something in his past life? He finally managed to speak. "Hi. I'm Kudou Shinichi. Nice to meet you. What is your name?"

She paused and took him in. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nana Shiori," She said, extending a hand out to meet his. Shinichi paused. Somehow, he couldn't. He was just speechless. Then, another memory came in his mind..

A girl in a pink wheelchair wearing some kind of fancy outfit was in some kind of hallway. A man in a mask came towards her. She seemed regal in a way, even though she was crippled, and blind.

She spoke. "Are you the man named Zero?" She asked, coldly.

The man in the mask flinched. "You are Viceroy Nunnally, correct?"

She nodded. "I was wondering, Zero. _Why_ did you kill my sister Euphie?"

The man in the mask again froze. He seemed unable to answer.

"She was only trying to do what she thought was best for Japan. That's why...I want you to help me with the second Special Administrative Zone of Japan! Join me, Zero!" The girl said, and extended a hand out to him.

The man stopped. Then, an image was imposed over the girl. A pink-haired girl who was wearing a white dress was extending her hand as well. She had an angelic, innocent smile on her face. Like an angel...

The man stepped back, and then a strange robot appeared, and the girl screamed a name: "Suzaku!"

The man dove after her. "NUNNALLY!" He screeched.

She was scooped up by the robot.

Shinichi could feel the pain the man felt upon seeing her leave.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?" Nana asked innocently.

Shinichi backed away. "I'm sorry...it's just I don't feel so well. It's not you...it's just..." He trailed off.

"You should smile, Oniichan." Nana said, but that was the wrong thing to say.

Shinichi flinched upon hearing that word, and started to back away even more. "I'm sorry..." He said, and ran off.

Kallen watched him as he ran away. He looked so shaken, like he had just experienced a major revelation that had shocked him to his core. She needed to be by his side, but she knew there was probably someone who could make sense of all the things he was feeling right now. 'C.C. Why don't you go see him?'

She really wished there was more she could do to help him now, she truly did.

* * *

Shinichi ran as hard as he could, not sure where he was going. He just wanted to run away from the girl in the wheelchair and all those painful memories that had surfaced in his head. He stopped to catch his breath, and sat down on a chair. "What was with all those images, anyway? Why did I feel so sick when I met that girl?" He said to himself.

_That reminds you of Nunnally, Meitantei._

'When did I give you permission to call me that?'

_I can say whatever I want, since I am you and you are me. You're already starting to accept that, aren't you?_

_Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I am not a murderer._

In your past life, you were...

_I said, shut up!_

"Hey, are you all right, boy? You seem awfully pale," A soft voice whispered. It sounded very familiar.

Shinichi whipped his head up to see a girl sitting beside him on the bench. It wasn't Kouzuki-san, instead it was a girl with green hair...green? Who the heck had hair that color? Her eyes were amber...how unusual. Somehow, he thought he'd seen her before, too.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The girl looked at him and kept her bored expression on her face. "You can call me C.C. What's your name, boy? You seem Japanese to me." She said tonelessly.

"Anou...I'm Shinichi." He introduced, and decided to keep his last name secret, in case she was one of his fangirls.

She looked at him. He noted a strange red tattoo on her forehead that was partially hidden by her green bangs. "Where'd you get that tattoo?" He asked.

She shrugged. "It's not a tattoo. It's a permanent marking." She said simply.

He eyed it. Somehow, the symbol felt awfully familiar... Suddenly, his left eye started throbbing even more. This time, the pain was much worse than before. He groaned as he covered his eye again, and it started bleeding again. "Kuso!"

C.C. studied him. "What's wrong with your eye, boy?"

"It's my left eye...it's always hurting me, and sometimes...it bleeds. I don't know why." Shinichi confessed. Somehow, he felt like he could trust her.

Her amber eyes widened slightly as she digested that information. "I see. Do you recognize the word geass?" She asked.

He merely shrugged. "Dunno. Never heard the term before. I've just gotta get this damn eye of mine to stop hurting. It's been going on since I was sixteen," He moaned. "Are you a doctor, by any chance?" He asked quickly.

She chuckled. "Sometimes, I wish I was, boy. But I'm not. Is there something you wished to talk to me about?" She asked.

"Well...I met this girl named Kallen Kouzuki, and..." He started to tell her about how familiar she felt to him, and the encounter with the girl in the wheelchair. She was silent the entire time. "Well, this girl felt so familiar. I don't know why, but...she made me feel sick to my stomach."

C.C. stepped back. She looked at Shinichi, really looked at him, and whispered, "_Lelouch_? Are you really Lelouch? The one I've been searching for?"

Shinichi stared at her. His eye had stopped hurting. There was still a trace of blood on his face, so he dabbed some of the blood off his cheek with his finger, and frowned. "I'm sorry, Ojousan. I don't know who or what you're talking about." He said.

"Don't lie to me. I felt a certain...bond to you, somehow. You seem to be the person who I've been looking for." She said again.

Shinichi was growing more confused and frustrated by every minute that passed by. Why was everyone calling him that? Why did they not see him for who he was? It was starting to become quite tiresome. "What the hell do you mean? Honto ni wakarimasen." He stated.

The girl smirked. "It's quite ironic, considering you weren't Japanese in your past life. But you are now, so why don't I solve that pain in your eye for you?"

Shinichi stared at her warily. "Who or what are you?" He stated.

"Lelouch, you ought to know better than to say something like-"

"SOMEONE HELP! MY HUSBAND...HE JUST COLLAPSED! HE'S DEAD! POLICE!" A high voice shrieked. Shinichi smirked broadly, for once his murder magnetism had done something good.

"Did you hear that? Someone's been murdered, Lelouch... hmm?" She uttered in confusion upon seeing the spot where the teenage boy had previously been empty."Lelouch?"

"Where did he run off to? He certainly seemed like Lelouch. There's something different about him, though. Is he scared of me?" She mused.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kallen was also searching for Shinichi. She was concerned about the way he had reacted toward that wheelchair-bound girl. She apologized profusely for the way he had acted, but the girl shrugged it off. "Where could Lelou-er, Kudou have gotten to?" She asked aloud, and corrected herself.

Then, she noticed a crowd forming around a place that was close to her. Her curiosity was piqued by this. She walked over, but a lot of people were blocking her way.

"Mommy, is that Kudou?" A girl asked.

"I think he is here! That detective!" Her mother responded back excitedly.

'Who are they talking about?' She wondered, then she finally managed to squeeze her way through. She froze upon seeing a familiar boy talking to a portly man who seemed to be an inspector of some sort. What is he doing there?

"There's no doubt about it. This was no accident-it was murder," Shinichi stated. "Now, which one of you committed the crime?" He said seriously.

Kallen stared on in disbelief.

"There he is! The high school detective Kudou Shinichi!" A few girls screeched.

"No way, he's a detective?" She uttered aloud.


	11. Chapter 11 Coping

A/N:This is still a Kalulu story, folks. I've kinda lost interest in the pairing, but I _do_ like the reincarnation romance idea, but I'm going to add a lot more than just that as time goes on. This will be a pretty long story. Maybe around 25 chapters? Who knows? As long as feedback is given, I will continue!

* * *

Chapter 11 Coping

_He's a detective? That's interesting...I didn't think Lelouch would be a detective...that's the polar opposite of what I was expecting. I guess reincarnation is a capricious thing, huh, Lelouch-or Kudou Shinichi, now? I still love you, no matter who you are now._

Kallen watched in fascination as the teenage detective explained how the murder was committed. Every one of his theories was so astute and intelligent. Now, she realized, with that smirk on his face and his words, that at times like this, she remembered he was Lelouch.

At first, she had thought nothing much of him. She only thought of him as a mere Japanese boy who was kind, if not distant.

However, when he had called her Q1, she had thought something was odd about that statement. Then, the way he had evaded her questions when she had talked to him behind the stands was suspicious.

He hadn't exactly confirmed or denied it as of yet, but it was now that she truly realized her suspicions were correct. Only Lelouch would be that smart and precocious. Only Lelouch would try and hide his feelings from other people, and wear a mask in order to protect them.

In some ways, Kudou Shinichi was like Lelouch, and in others, he wasn't. For one thing, he was much more positive and cheerful. He was happier than he had been in his past life; more innocent, and more childish. That was a good thing. But she knew looks could be deceiving, so if he was more mature than he let on, he would probably show it sooner or later. Second, he seemed to be against crime of any kind, as she noticed in his speech. He seemed to absolutely despise murder of any degree. She wondered if that was a remainder of his experiences in his past life.

She smiled faintly. "You're special, Kudou. No wonder I fell in love with you." She whispered.

Unfortunately, a girl in the crowd heard her. "Oh no! Someone else likes Kudou-kun!" She exclaimed loudly.

Shinichi sighed. "Girls, calm down. Let's be more serious." He said, smirking at the girls, and some of them passed out. He was smirking for a while longer, that is, until he noticed someone come running through the crowd.

"Kallen, where are you?" A male voice shouted. Kallen knew that voice better than anyone.

"Kururugi, there you are!" Kallen exclaimed. She looked around and saw Suzaku standing there.

Shinichi stared at the young man who was now next to the redhead. Somehow, he felt a sense of jealousy and...hostility. Something about that young man just didn't sit right with him. Well, he was Kouzuki-san's friend, though by the look on her face, he might have had to say otherwise.

_Well, it doesn't hurt to be friendly._

He smiled, and walked over to the two adults. The brown-haired boy jumped whenever he saw him.

"Oh, you surprised me! Sorry about that! I'm Suzaku Kururugi," He said, smiling at Shinichi. Shinichi smiled back. This guy seemed nice enough.

Shinichi extended his hand forward to meet his. When he touched his hand, however...

* * *

The same brown-haired boy was waiting for someone beside a red gate of some kind. He seemed to be a younger version of Kururugi-san, Shinichi noticed. The boy looked up to see a dark-haired teen coming towards him. It was the same boy Shinichi saw a lot in his dreams.

"Hi, there. Are you here to help me save Nunnally?" The dark-haired boy asked, extending a hand towards the brown-haired boy's.

"Lelouch, did you...geass...Euphie?"

"Yes."

"To...the Japanese?"

"Yes. Forgive me, Suzaku," The black-haired boy said, and he got down on his knees. For a second, Kururugi-san seemed taken aback by the thing the boy had just done. Then, his features twisted into rage.

"You think I can forgive..._you_? After what you did to Euphie, and Shirley? Never!" He screamed, and started to hit and kick the black-haired boy. The other boy, who Shinichi guessed was Lelouch, remained passive and endured the blows. His face was then pushed into the dirt.

Shinichi's eyes widened at what he had just seen in his mind. Was he going crazy again, or was this one of Lelouch's memories coming into his mind again? Either way, the detective was feeling very confused at this turn of events.

Kururugi-san was looking at him in confusion. "Oh, I didn't ask you for your name. Sorry about that."

Shinichi plastered a smile onto his face, and said, "Heh, heh, that's okay, I guess...I'm Kudou Shinichi," He said quietly, though there was a hidden amount of venom in those words. He had figured it out the second he had seen the man. He knew that that man killed Lelouch-or him in his past life. He wasn't called a brilliant meitantei for nothing.

Suzaku stared at him in curiosity. For a moment, there was a sense of recognition. "Nice to meet you. Why are you staring at me like that? Have we met somewhere before?" He asked.

Kallen tensed up in an instant. She knew this was not going to be good. Not good at all. _Kudou-san needs to get away from Suzaku or else...he'll reveal his identity._

"Anou, Kudou, can we go somewhere else for a moment?" Kallen said, reaching for his arm, but Shinichi had already disappeared back into the crowd. He was beside that portly inspector again.

Kallen and Suzaku both heard Shinichi's explanation of how the murderer had committed the crime, and at once, a bell rang in both of their heads. One was now entirely convinced that he was her dead lover incarnate, the other was only suspicious of this newcomer.

"Kallen. Why are you so familiar with Kudou? You two have only known each other for a little while. Furthermore, I had no idea he was a detective. But, you know what? His reasoning sounds...very familiar. Almost like..." Suzaku trailed off.

"Lelouch. I know. But, he's not Lelouch, Suzaku," Kallen lied through gritted teeth.

"Don't lie to me, Kallen. That boy...is Lelouch, right?" Suzaku asked.

Kallen nodded seriously. "Yes, I believe he is Lelouch."

Suzaku was silent for a while as he watched the brown-haired boy. Could this boy really be his long-time childhood friend reborn? It was certainly possible, he thought. There was something very familiar about him, that was for sure. Whether it was that sense of intelligence one got from looking at him, those piercing blue eyes that seemed to look through your soul, or something else, he certainly screamed familiar.

After the case ended, Ran came back up to Shinichi and the two of them held hands. He came back over to Kallen, but froze as soon as he saw Suzaku standing there. He forced himself to smile and pretended he didn't recognize him at all.

"I didn't know you were a detective. That's certainly interesting, Kudou-san. Back when I knew you, I didn't think you would work in that part of the law," Suzaku said curiously, wondering how he would react.

Shinichi only blinked at him, then smiled. "I've always adored mysteries and Sherlock Holmes, ever since I was a little kid. But I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by back when you knew me. Because we've only met now," He said evasively.

Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Interesting."

"...Though, one tends to not forget a murderer," Shinichi whispered quietly, so quietly that Suzaku almost didn't catch onto the meaning.

"What do you mean by that?" Suzaku inquired briefly.

"Oh, one remembers...the way the blade runs through their chest as their heartbeat dies and the person who murders them cries like the coward he is." Shinichi said.

Suzaku's eyes widened as the full meaning of what Shinichi had just said came to him. "What do you mean by that? Are you...some kind of medium?"

Shinichi smacked his forehead. "I don't believe in mediums or any of that rubbish. Rather, I just have nightmares like that regularly, Kururugi," He said coldly.

"Shinichi?" Ran asked anxiously, staring at her friend. She knew something was wrong with him. He wasn't acting as friendly as usual. "What's wrong?"

"No...you can't be him...that's not possible. He died a long time ago." Suzaku said in a hushed whisper.

"I can vouch for him." Kallen countered. "He has lots of nightmares about stuff that happened in our world! Right, Kudou?" She asked.

Shinichi flinched. "Which dream? The one with the pink-haired girl being shot? The one with the man in the mask? The girl in the wheelchair...?" He said, seeming very hesitant to go on with his story.

Suzaku gasped. "There's only one way you could know all of that stuff. Are you...Lelouch? Lelouch...? Is that you?" He whispered.

Shinichi backed away. He was definitely uncomfortable with where this was going. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm only me. No one else," He lied.

_Don't lie, detective. Want me to take over again?_

'Stay out of this. I don't want to get even more confused.'

_Whatever. Stop denying reality. You used to be me, and now I'm you. Just admit it._

'No, I'm just crazy. There has to be a logical reason for all this.'

'Want a logical explanation? You used to be me. I died. I was reborn as you, and you grew up not knowing anything-then'

_SHUT UP!_

"Lelouch, why are you acting like this?" Suzaku asked in confusion.

"I'm...I'm not Lelouch! Or, maybe...I used to be. I just don't have anything more to say to the man who murdered me in my past life," Shinichi spat.

"Wait! It wasn't like that at all, Lelouch! He wanted it this way-no, you wanted it to happen! Just hear me out!" Suzaku begged.

"I don't like criminals, Kururugi-san. I'm sure that's quite obvious to you by now. I also don't like rapists, liars, or murderers. However, the one thing that disgusts me the most is anyone who tries to justify murder. Murder is wrong, and that's all there is to it," Shinichi explained coldly. "Ran, let's go home."

"Shinichi! Don't treat him like that!" Ran exclaimed. "I'm sorry. He's just worked up."

"That's okay. I probably deserved to hear that, anyway." Suzaku mumbled quietly.

Kallen came over to Shinichi. "Kudou-san, I want to know, why-"

"Could you leave me alone for a bit?" Shinichi replied distantly. There was a look of tiredness and irritation on his face. "I didn't mean to word it that way, Kouzuki-san. Things are just so confusing now. I mean, you have been helpful in clearing up some of my confusion, and for some of the things she has been experiencing as well." He added, pointing to Ran.

"Is that true?" Kallen asked.

"Yes. I have dreams like Shinichi does, too! All about a girl with red hair." She said sadly.

"Then, you must have been...Shirley. I'm Kallen." She said, and reached out to shake her hand, but when Ran refused to shake it, she glanced over at Shinichi. The look on his face was priceless.

"Uh...Ran...don't get the wrong idea about Kouzuki-san and I. We're only friends, it's not like she's a fangirl or we're in love or anything, okay?" Shinichi lied awkwardly. He was blushing slightly.

_He's so modest._

Kallen smirked. "It's the truth."

Ran's look of jealousy faded. "I believe I'll accept that for now. However, if she is one of your fangirls, I'll make sure you get it big time, tantei otaku!" She threatened, aiming a kick his way.

A terrified Shinichi dodged. "I swear I'm not!"

Suzaku watched on in amusement. Now he was acting no differently than any other boy his age.

"Ran, we should get going soon. It's going to get dark." Shinichi said to Ran, who nodded. Then, his eyes narrowed as he saw a pair of two figures skulking back behind the Ferris wheel...

_What are they up to, I wonder?_

**Don't be reckless. You could get killed.**

The odds of that are highly unlikely, Lelouch.

Ignoring the warning the voice in his head sent him, Shinichi and Ran headed off away from him. However, Suzaku followed behind them. Kallen had already arranged to find C.C. and Anya and Gino. Suzaku was still a little nervous. He felt like something was going to happen.

He saw Kudou eying some men in black. He felt fear rise in his chest for some reason, as the boy left his friend, and assured her he'd be back. The boy was being too reckless.

Shinichi knelt behind the Ferris Wheel. These guys were doing a huge business,indeed! Imagine if he got pictures of that in to Megure-keibu! He took out his camera, but then something hard hit him on the head, and he fell over.

"Your detective game...is over!" A man in a black suit said.

He picked up the unconscious Shinichi. "This brat was spying on us!"

"What should we do with him? Should we kill him?" Vodka asked, pulling out a gun.

"I don't think you should do anything except put him down and skedaddle," A familiar voice warned. Both of them turned around to see Suzaku glaring at them.

"Who the hell are you?" The one man said coldly. "An interloper, eh?" He grinned evilly and laughed deeply. "Get rid of him, Vodka."

But Suzaku was too fast. He had already knocked out the fat tubbolard. It wasn't hard, considering the fact that Suzaku was a soldier in the Britannian military. "I've dealt with people far worse than you." He hissed. "I'm warning you, I'm a trained soldier. So, if you don't take your filthy paws off him this second, you will regret having touched him."

Gin looked like he was going to do something for a minute. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun. Next to it was a packet. He started to open it up. He fired. The target was gone. "Hah. He probably ran away." Gin said. "Looks like it's lights out for you, kid."

Just as he was going to take something out, a familiar person knocked him over, and held him by the lapels. "I thought I told you to drop him. He's my friend." Suzaku said menacingly. He now held both of those things in his hands.

Gin got to his feet, and glared at him icily. "You'll regret having made an enemy of me, punk. I'll be taking my leave now." He said coldly, and grabbed his gun and fled.

Suzaku turned towards the detective. "Oh, man. They hit you pretty hard, didn't they?" When he got no response, he figured that he was unconscious. He grimaced as he picked up the bleeding Shinichi. "You're...heavy." He grunted. He was just glad he'd been able to get here in time.

"If you are...Lelouch, then I don't want to lose you again. You need to live a full life, and I'll protect you, even if you hate me. Because that's what friends do for each other." He said.

He took out a phone and called the number for the hospital.

A/N:Some of you are bound to be pissed at me for the way I handled that last scene. But, that's the way it goes. So, my mind is made up. He will NOT shrink. Sorry, fans of Conan. This story is not following canon, so expect lots of changes.


	12. Chapter 12 Resolutions

A/N:Hello, READERS! Are you all happy to be here? I sure am! Now, time for some more Shinka moments. P.S. let me know what you think of Suzaku's reaction to Shinichi being a detective in this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12 Resolutions

The first thing Shinichi saw was Ran's face as he slowly awoke. His eyes widened as he saw his childhood friend staring down at him. Her deep blue eyes were filled with worry, concern, and...relief. He slowly sat up, but flinched upon doing so. Somehow, his head hurt. The detective rubbed the back of his head and something akin to...fabric met his fingers. '_Why is that there? And why does my head hurt so much? Did I fall down or something?'_

As he thought about it, he suddenly remembered the men in black he had followed. That blond-haired guy...he had hit him on the back of the head with something...and then someone else had intervened.

Shinichi couldn't remember anything else after that, so he supposed he must have passed out from the shock of being knocked on the head. '_That sucks. Me, the great high school detective, Kudou Shinichi, being knocked unconscious by the bad guys? That's not how it's supposed to go.'_

**Glad you're all right, detective.**

_'Why are you still here, Lelouch? It's disturbing having a disembodied voice talking to me inside my mind. I'm still not sure if I'm insane or if you're real.'_

**Relax, you're not insane. Like I've said a dozen times before, you are my reincarnation, so I have dwelled within your subconscious for a long time. It was only recently that I was able to come to.**

_'So, you know everything about me? That's creepy and unnatural.'_

_**Detective, you're not the only one who has been reincarnated. Practically everyone in the world is a reincarnation of someone. That's what happens after death. You stay there for a while, then you're reborn.**_

_'So, I'll meet the people who died while I was around-wait a second, did YOU kill them?'_

When Lelouch made no response, Shinichi sighed mentally and returned to the matter at hand. It was then that he realized he was lying on a hospital bed. Ran was directly in front of him, and she was smiling in relief upon seeing him stare at her.

"Shinichi, I'm so glad you're okay!" She exclaimed. She was...crying over him...the careless idiot, the detective who worried her all the time. 'Ran, it's not proper for you to cry over a baka like me,' He thought.

Shinichi found that hard to believe. Shouldn't she be yelling at him or calling him an idiot for neglecting her and running off of his own accord?

As if she was clairvoyant, she scowled, "Honestly, Shinichi. You should have told me where you were running off to. I had a bad feeling, like I was never going to see you again! It was only thanks to Kururugi-san that you came here." She said.

Shinichi gasped. "Kururugi-san...you mean, _that guy _saved me?" He said, pointing to the brown-haired young man, who was currently talking to Kouzuki-san avidly.

There was a stubborn look on her face as she argued back and forth with him about something. He sweatdropped. Somehow, this felt familiar...it was almost as if he remembered them arguing a lot.

_**You're remembering something. That's good. Kallen still seems to be distraught over my death. The way she reacted was typical, though.**_

'_Is Kouzuki-san always that vocal about her feelings, Lelouch?'_

_**Yes, she is. She's exactly like your girlfriend.**_

'Ran is NOT my girlfriend!'

Shinichi was now blushing slightly upon hearing Lelouch laugh inside his head. "You're annoying, you know that?" He said.

Ran blinked a few times. "Shinichi, who are you talking to?"

"No one. Just thinking out loud." He lied, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit of his.

Suzaku was looking over at him. There was a question in his eyes. Shinichi frowned at him and looked away quickly. He didn't even notice the hurt look on Suzaku's face as he did so. "So, _he_ saved me? That's unexpected. I never thought a murderer would save someone, that's far too ironic for words-"

He was cut off by a slap to the face. His eyes widened as he rubbed his stinging cheek. He glanced up at the perpetrator, and was shocked to see not Ran, but Kallen staring at him with a very unhappy expression on her face.

_Is this what you meant by "Kallen rage, Lelouch?"_

**E-Exactly, Detective. This is how she gets.**

Before Shinichi could respond, or even say anything, Kallen spoke. Her voice was hard and piercing. "Kudou, that's enough. I think you should stop saying things like that."

Suzaku was shocked. "Kallen, you didn't have to hit him. That was unnecessary," He said, putting his hands on Kallen's shoulders, but she pushed him aside and turned her scowl on Shinichi.

"...Why did you hit me?" Shinichi said softly. He was too stunned to speak. Tears sprang up briefly in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He was not about to let himself cry in front of strangers...and Ran. She was the one who was supposed to cry, not him. Boys don't cry.

"Why did I hit you? Of all the questions, _that's _the one you ask me? You know why...Kudou. You insulted my friend when he saved your stupid life. You should be grateful that he saved your damn life, you dumb Britannian. Don't be such an ingrate," Kallen ranted angrily. There was no sadness in her eyes now, just fury.

Shinichi stared, wide-eyed at her. He had never seen her act like this before. He had not been slapped in the face for a long time, and it was not something he wanted to have happen again. Sure, he had been beaten up by Ran before, but he was sure that she would be on his side. He recovered his composure and spoke up.

"Kouzuki-san, I just-never mind. Before I say anything, what the heck is a Britannian? If you're referring to my nationality, I'm pretty sure I'm one-hundred percent Japanese," He said jokingly, making a nervous smile, but when the silence in the room increased, he hung his head.

"I'm not perfect, you know. Even though I'm a detective who finds flaws in other people and arrests criminals for things they've done wrong, I'm far from perfect. It's something I dislike, true. However, as Holmes said...when you have eliminated the impossible...whatever remains is the truth,"

When no one spoke yet again, he continued on, "Truth is what I'm all about. I just want everything to be right in the world, but there are three things in this world that I truly cannot understand. The first is why people lie, the second is why they murder, and the last is why people fight. I don't understand why people lie. Is there really any point to it all, I wonder? It becomes a slow disease that consumes you from the inside. Guilt will eventually eat you up as time passes and you try to hold something back from someone you care dearly about. It's important to tell the truth and get it out. Otherwise, you hurt more people in the process by lying, because one day it will all unravel. Second, I can't understand why people murder. It has never occurred to me why anyone could possibly desire to take the life of another person-or living thing. I know the means by which people carry it out, and their "reasons" for doing so. I just can't understand it. Why would anyone wish to cause someone's death? It is the most hideous thing you can possibly do to anyone. It is an atrocious thing that I do not think can be excused in any possible way. That is also why I am a detective: to mete out justice for humanity's sake. Finally, I believe people can get along if they put enough effort into it. That's all I can think of." He finished.

Ran was staring at him, and there was definitely concern in her eyes, and sadness. She sent him a sympathetic stare. He smiled sadly. "So, whatever sin I'm guilty of, please tell me in a rational manner, Kouzuki-san." He added playfully.

Kallen's eyes widened slightly. There was shock evident in her features. It was apparent that she was listening to him, but she spoke again. "You little...you seem to have missed my point entirely. I understand what you're getting at, but you need to apologize to my friend."

Ran stood up then. "Leave Shinichi alone. While I understand that sometimes Shinichi can be an annoying, selfish, arrogant, baka who thinks only of mystery novels and crimes, he is also the most caring, kind, and selfless person I know, so please do not insult him in front of me. You will have to deal with me if you make Shinichi cry."

"Ran..." Shinichi muttered, his eyes wide in shock. "Oi, oi, did you really mean all those things about me?" He said.

"Of course I did, baka Shinichi! But I don't hate you! No, you're my closest friend. So that's why I can't bear seeing you get hurt." Ran said.

Kallen's blue eyes were full of tears at this point. "Mouri-san...I just wanted to correct him! He was being cruel...and..." She trailed off.

"Kallen...it's okay. I'll handle it," Suzaku said reassuringly, but Kallen just glared at him and stormed out of the room without so much as casting another look at Shinichi.

Shinichi felt extremely guilty, somehow. He felt something more than just concern for Kouzuki-san. Somehow, he was really worried about her, though, not as much as he was worried about Ran. "Ran...thanks for sticking up for me. I guess I was a big baro, huh?" He said, and laughed nervously.

Ran smiled at him. "I'm glad that you didn't try to yell at her. If you did, I would have to beat you up," She said.

"Hehehe...I suppose that's true, Ran," Shinichi said sheepishly. He was now more relaxed.

Suzaku watched on in silence. He watched the person he thought was his former best friend incarnate laugh and joke with his friend. He seemed like an entirely different person than he had been when Suzaku had known him, but that was to be expected. However, his aversion to Suzaku had been the first thing that Suzaku had picked up on. He had noted that as being rather odd. Still, he needed to speak to Lelouch.

"Lelouch...I need to talk to you." Suzaku said. When the brown-haired boy didn't respond, he smacked his forehead mentally. "Um...what's your name again?"

Shinichi sighed. There was a vein pulsing on his forehead. "Kudou Shinichi, for the fifteenth time. Why do people always mess up my name?" He exclaimed.

"Remember the time a girl called you Kuso Shinichi?" Ran giggled.

Shinichi glared. "That was embarrassing, Ran. It certainly wasn't funny at the time." He muttered.

Suzaku laughed. He was feeling a little relieved at seeing his childhood friend smiling. "Listen, I just need to speak to him privately."

"No. I want to stay with him." Ran said defiantly.

Suzaku sighed. "Okay. I won't force you to leave," He said, and then turned to Shinichi. "Look, Lelouch. I think there's been a misunderstanding here between the two of us. I want to really get along with you, so why not make amends? How much do you really remember? Do you know Euphie?"

Shinichi blinked. His brilliant blue orbs seemed to be digesting the information. Then, he answered, "I'm not Lelouch...at least, not anymore. I suppose we could try and get along, Kururugi-san. As for my dreams...I remember a little bit, though not much. I only remember a girl named Shirley, Kouzuki-san, a girl in a wheelchair, and...a boy named Lelouch. I don't know who Euphie is. Nor do I really wish to discuss my dreams right now, since they are a topic that is quite unsettling with me." He said.

Suzaku nodded. "I see. In your past life, you and I were friends. Best friends. Until you killed the woman I loved named Euphie-"

"What are you talking about? I've never killed anyone before in my life! The people just drop dead wherever I go! It's not like I kill them. Never accuse me of being a murderer, because the answer is no!" Shinichi exclaimed in panic.

_He's so...different. When I heard Lelouch was reincarnated, I expected him to be like he used to be; antisocial, quiet, and vengeful. But now, he's the opposite: friendly, easygoing, and bashful. Is he really the Lelouch I knew? Okay, I know he knows the names of people Lelouch knew, so that awards points. However...he just seems like a totally different guy._

"Sorry. I suppose you don't remember anything, huh? Well, I suppose it's natural. I'm so surprised that you were a detective! You certainly don't look like a detective, Kudou." In truth, Suzaku was never expecting Lelouch's reincarnation to be a detective and side with the law. That was the last thing on his mind. To see Lelouch defending life and abhorring murder was just a 180-degree turn in behavior.

He forgave him.


	13. Chapter 13 Nunnally

_A/N:Now, time to update this story! As of right now, most of my stories are continuing!_

* * *

Chapter 13 Solution

She hated this. It was an unusual thing for someone like her to say, much less think. Seeing as she was known for a reputation of being a kind and caring person, it was rare that anyone would even think that someone with as much power and wealth like Nunnally vi Britannia could have the capacity to hate anyone or anything. All they had to do was to look at the wheelchair, and then they would see what it was she hated the most.

Yes, Nunnally vi Britannia, the empress of Britannia had a few things she hated, much to most people's astonishment. The young girl was so privileged, popular and famous, surely that should be a good thing, right? _Wrong_.

Nunnally despised fame and privilege from the time she was a little girl. That probably had to do with the fact that her mother had never been very popular with other nobles in her family, except for her late sister Euphemia, her late brother Clovis, and her sister Cornelia. Lelouch had always been right from the start that the royal family had hated them.

Even now, years after his death, she found herself believing his words. Her dead brother had been so special, so unique...that even now, she doubted that anyone could entrance her quite like her brother had. She didn't mean his unusual mind control ability, which she wasn't even aware he had until her brother Schneizel had told her the truth. So, her kind, loving brother had lied to her and used her sister Euphie to murder innocent Japanese? She couldn't believe it.

The young girl was nearly twenty now, and she still couldn't understand why her brother honestly expected her to be happy without him being by her side. He was all that she had left, and when he had gone, a piece of her innocence was stolen away from her as well. Couldn't he understand that? He was her sole protector, her loving brother, and then he had died. In front of her, just like her mother had so long ago. She had no one except Suzaku now-er, Zero as he was called now.

So, her heart was not as innocent and pure as everyone expected it to be. There were things Nunnally hated. The first was her wheelchair, because her wheelchair was the one thing that held her back from the world. Because of it, she would always be seen as a helpless young girl, even if she wasn't on the inside.

Because of it, people would always be wondering why Britannia's motto of Social Darwinism allowed them to have a crippled young girl serving as their leader. It seemed more like a falsehood, or an irony than a truth. Leaders usually did not have to be pushed by someone all of their life. Leaders could usually walk, like Zero. They never had someone always assisting them and helping them.

Nunnally would always be crippled. She had accepted this long ago, and had played the role of the nice girl so convincingly that everyone had accepted this to be her true nature. But it wasn't. Like most of her family, Nunnally didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, and instead masked her true feelings with a gentle smile. Most of her friends had long ago failed to notice it was fake.

The second thing that she hated was the fact that Suzaku and Kallen seemed to be hiding something from her again. They had gone somewhere without telling her where, and the least they told her was that they were going to see a friend.

She hated being lied to and not being told the truth. Did they honestly think that she was stupid, or needed to be protected all the time? It really ticked her off! She was twenty, for god's sake! She was independent and could take care of herself. She didn't need anyone being overprotective except her older brother, but he was dead now.

She wondered somehow if this had to do with her brother. Was it entirely possible, like that conversation she had overheard Suzaku and that girl C.C hold a few nights ago, that her brother was reincarnated?

She pondered this in her mind, and supposed it was probable. Still, she wanted to at least be included in these sorts of matters, since it was her brother they were talking about, after all.

Right now, she was all by herself, so she had nothing better to do than to think over why they could be hiding things from her. "What would he be like if he was reincarnated?"

* * *

Shinichi talked to Suzaku for a little while, but he kept on noticing the annoyed looks that Ran was sending him. Obviously, she wanted to know what was up. It was time to stop keeping her in the dark. "Ran, come over here." He said, waving his hand over to her.

She smiled gently and walked over towards them. "What are you two talking about? Is it something about Shinichi's dreams? Because I have them as well," She said.

"You do?" Suzaku uttered, staring at her in shock. "What kinds are they?" He whispered. This girl had seemed quite familiar for some reason. He wondered if she was perhaps Euphie reincarnated. "Are you...Euphie?"

"No, the dreams I had were about a girl with orange hair whose father was killed. I remember waking up and hugging my father and begging him not to die. He was very puzzled, I think. He didn't understand that at the time, the dreams seemed very real in my mind and plagued me for most of my life," Ran explained. "Also, I keep on having deja vu around Shinichi. I have thought more than once that I met him before in another life, or that it's not the first time I've thought he's lied to me."

"Really? So, you two met in another life?" Suzaku asked, his suspicions also increasing in his mind as he eyed the girl before him. There was something oddly familiar about her. Those blue eyes, the look on her face...he felt like he'd talked to her before. She almost reminded him of...not of Euphie, but of...the girl who'd been smitten with Lelouch for most of her life before she died.

Wasn't her name...Shirley? The orange-haired girl? Was that her?

Ran's eyes widened as she recalled the first time she had actually met Shinichi. _That's right. At the time, I was only seven. My parents were fighting...I can't believe I've forgotten that._

* * *

_Ran ran out of her house, sobbing. Her parents had started to scream and yell at each other again. Before, they were so happy with her, and now every time they saw each other, all they did was fight. They never really paid much attention to her anymore. Her father drank that weird drink all the time, and then he would get angry and fight with her mother._

_She could still hear his voice booming from the window. "I TOLD YOU TO BRING ME A BEER, YOU DAMNED HARPY! WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING WHAT I ASKED YOU TO?"_

_Her mother's just as frustrated voice boomed back. "YOU REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT ME OR RAN, DO YOU? IT'S ALWAYS YOUR DAMN ALCOHOL, ISN'T IT? TRY AND COME HOME FOR ONCE INSTEAD OF DRINKING ALCOHOL WITH YOUR BUDDIES AND FLIRTING WITH WOMEN!"_

_Ran flinched. "Okaasama..." She whined, tears traveling down her face even faster now. Did her mother truly care about her?_

_"I REALLY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT HER. SHE'S AN ANNOYING LITTLE BRAT!" Her father's voice yelled. "GET ME MY GODDAMNED ALCOHOL, YOU DUMB BITCH! I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!"_

_Ran started to run faster and faster, leaving her house far behind. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she care. She just wanted to be away from it all. Almost...like she could end it all. She didn't even notice that she had run about two miles away from her home. She stepped out in the road, heedless of the headlights closing in on her little form. She only wanted to be away from it all._

_"Watch out! Don't go out in the road!" A voice shouted. She had no idea who it belonged to. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her by her shirt and pull her back from the road. She felt fabric as she landed in someone's arms._

_"Let go of me!" She screamed in terror, wondering whether it was a would-be kidnapper. She struggled to get away._

_"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, ojousama. You shouldn't go in the road like that. You can be hurt,or even killed. You're lucky I saw you in time." A male voice whispered in her ear. She didn't recognize it._

_She turned around and found herself looking into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. She blinked in surprise as she realized the person holding her was a lot younger than she'd thought. He only seemed to be around her age. Something inside of her stirred. She thought she knew this person. She knew it was a boy. "L-Lulu?" She remarked, not sure why she said the name._

_Blue eyes blinked for a second, before registering confusion. "Ara? That's not my name, you barou." The boy remarked, scowling. It was so dark that she could barely see his face, only his eyes. She smiled slightly. "Who are you, ojousama? And why were you running away?" He asked sharply._

_"That's not any of your business!" She protested, but then gasped whenever she felt herself being set back down on the ground. She started to run, and she heard footsteps following her. "Leave me alone, you pervert! You trying to kidnap me or something?" She yelled. Her shoes crunched on the gravel as she hurried up the street, until she stopped under a streetlight to catch her breath._

_She heard the voice again. "Oi! Don't run away like that, you baka!" It scolded. She didn't even turn around until the voice came from directly behind her. "I had to chase after you, and my parents will be worried sick if they discover I'm gone!" He uttered._

_"Who are you?" She asked, and looked behind her. She found herself looking at the same blue eyes from earlier, only she could see who they belonged to now. A boy around her age stood there, panting a little. He was dressed only in his pajamas and a jacket. His hair was dark brown and spiked up in the front, and he had a cowlick in the back that stuck up. He was not very tall for his age._

_"Me? I'm your savior," He replied dryly, grinning broadly at her. Her cheeks heated up visibly. This boy was so familiar...she felt like she'd seen him before. He reminded her of that black-haired man in her dreams...the one with the kind smile, and those weird purple eyes..._

_"I-I'm Mouri Ran." She introduced awkwardly, aware of the fact that she was suddenly nervous around this boy. "What about you?" She asked._

_"Kudou Shinichi. A detective." He replied coolly, smirking at her. Her mouth dropped open._

_"Hey...aren't you in my class at school?" Ran asked, staring at the dark-haired boy in interest._

_"You're in my third period, right? The bubbly girl who always has friends?" Shinichi responded back. "Tell me why you were crying." He muttered softly, walking towards her and sitting beside her. _

_He smiled warmly at her. "I'll listen to you." He added._

_"Well...I ran away from home because my parents were fighting. I felt like I didn't belong there anymore. And then I ran into you." She explained._

_"I see." He replied. "I didn't want you to get hit by a car. I didn't want to lose you._ _Never again do I want to lose you." He muttered._

_"What?" She asked. "Why do you act like you know me when we've only just met?"_

_He smirked. "I dunno. It feels like I've known you...long ago. You remind me of a girl I dream about. One with orange hair, right?" He added, smiling lopsidedly at her._

_"You...have those dreams, too?" She asked. "Then...are you...?"_

_"Maybe we've met in a past life," Shinichi added. "Or maybe we haven't. I live around here, so do you want to stay with me for tonight?" He asked._

_"Thank you...Shinichi." She said._

_"You can't call me that. You have to call me by Kudou." He scolded gently._

* * *

"What's the matter, Ran?" Shinichi asked.

"I remembered the time we met a long time ago. Don't you remember?" Ran asked.

A smile crossed his face. "Yeah, you came crying into my life like a little baby." He joked.

"SHINICHI!" Ran screamed, aiming a karate kick his way. Shinichi dodged in terror, while Suzaku watched on in disbelief.

"By the way...do you know where Kallen went?" Suzaku asked.

"Kouzuki-san...I haven't seen her for a while. Where is she?" Shinichi asked curiously. He felt concern for her, even though they had just met.

"...She always goes somewhere and sulks. She'll come back on her own." Suzaku muttered. "Lelou-er, Kudou, she'll come back. Just wait." Suzaku said.

"I'll come with you." Ran said to Shinichi.

Suddenly, Suzaku's phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Suzaku? Where are you?" Nunnally asked over the phone.

"Nunnally? Why'd you call? Like I told you before, I'm out visiting a friend." Suzaku lied, oblivious to the curious stares Ran and Shinichi were casting him.

"That name sounds familiar." Shinichi remarked.

"I know." Ran added.

"Does this have to do with my brother, Suzaku? Is he reincarnated? Is that what's going on?" Nunnally asked.

"You know?" Suzaku asked.

"I know when you're lying to me. Can I see him? Is he really reincarnated? Please...take me to him." Nunnally begged.

"Nunnally..." Suzaku uttered.

Shinichi's look changed from one of confusion to one of thoughtfulness. "That girl's name was in my dreams..."


	14. Chapter 14 Witch

A/N:Sorry for late updates! Remember, eventually I get around to my stories sooner or later.

Chapter 14 Witch

* * *

It was a lovely day in the park. The sky was clear and blue, showing a brilliantly glowing sun that shone down on the residents of Beika, much to their delight. After the constant gloominess of the past several days, getting some much needed sunlight was a good thing, especially for the children of Beika, who had been sulking indoors when they learned of the rain outside and how they couldn't go out to play with their friends.

That's why, a young girl thought as she wandered down the grassy path, that it was good to get sunny days and rainy ones, too.

'As long as I can play with my friends, everything will be all right.'

That's what this young girl believed to be the only thing that mattered most in the world. After all, she was only seven years old, still naive and full of surprises. Every day, she made more discoveries with her group of friends, but she felt like her heart was lacking...something. She didn't know what it was, but it almost seemed like there should be more to her life. She was busy thinking over these things, and didn't see the ball headed her way until it was too late.

"Geez, Ayumi-chan! Will you stop spacing out?" A male voice screeched. Ayumi got back up to her feet, still slightly dazed by the force of the ball that had just hit her on the head. She rubbed her head, and tears formed in her sky blue eyes. "Genta-kun, you're so mean!"

The chubby boy near her gasped upon seeing her shed tears. His cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "Aa-h, I didn't mean it!" He exclaimed, bounding over to the girl, but she pushed him aside in anger.

"I hate you, Genta! You're a meanie!" The girl exclaimed, running away from them both.

"Wait, Ayumi-chan!" A freckled boy exclaimed. "Genta, you are too strong. You shouldn't have hurt her feelings like this!"

"It's too late, boy. You already hurt her feelings," An unknown voice chirped from behind him. Mitsuhiko turned around to see a tall teenage girl with long green hair standing near him. Her amber eyes were full of amusement as she studied him. "Humans should really watch what they say to one another."

"Who are you? Why did you dye your hair?" Mitsuhiko asked, feeling slightly unnerved by this bizarre woman. To be honest, he thought she looked like an alien from outer space! But that wasn't a polite thing to say to an older woman. "Oneesan, who are you?" He queried.

"Me? You wouldn't believe me if I told you, boy. However, there is something I think you can help me with. You see, I am looking for someone...someone special. He may be a runaway." The girl replied ambiguously.

"What do you mean, oneesan?" Mitsuhiko questioned, feeling the empty pit in his stomach getting bigger. There was something quite unsettling about this woman.

"Have you seen a boy running around here? Or were you at an amusement park a few days ago? If so, then would you recognize this person if I described him to you? He is a teenager, with dark hair, maybe brownish-black, and has blue eyes." C.C. said.

Mitsuhiko frowned. "Not really..."

"I know who you mean!" A high voice chirped. The brunette from earlier approached, her blue eyes full of excitement. "Do you mean an older boy with brown hair that sticks up in the air in the back? 'Cause I've seen someone like that on TV! His name was...it was...I can't remember." She trailed off.

"Really? That was helpful enough." The girl replied. "Oh, by the way, what's your name?"

"Ayumi. Yoshida Ayumi." The girl replied, beaming.

"Farewell." The girl said, and strode off with her purpose fulfilled. A small smirk crossed her face. "Lelouch, you little devil. It wasn't polite of you to run off suddenly and leave me behind. Even if you don't remember me, I remember you well, and if you're anything at all like how you used to be, you'll be sneaky and paranoid."

She wondered why he had run off like a gazelle being chased by a cheetah. Why was he so frightened of her? Really, she wasn't that scary, was she? A small smile crossed C.C's face as she remembered how much Lelouch had cared about her...of course, he did small things to show her that he cared.

He wasn't in love with her, rather he had used her like the rest of them did. She was used to that, but he had shown her something she was never shown before: kindness. Charles and Marianne only saw her as a tool, but Lelouch had seen her as a human being.

So, why did he act so skittish towards her? It wasn't like she smelled bad, or was stinky. She knew that he might be inclined to be a little nervous around her, since he might have recognized her, but the way he had acted towards her was not at all like Lelouch.

"Perhaps I was mistaken. No, he definitely was...Lelouch. You little demon, I'll have some nice things to say to you...once I find you. Wherever Kallen is, I'm sure she knows where you are."

* * *

Shinichi was reading the pages of a Sherlock Holmes book in his hospital room when a sudden tickle entered his nose. "HACHOOO!"

He tossed the book aside and sneezed instead on his bed. Sniffing, he wiped his nose. "Kuso, I hope I'm not catching a cold, Ran."

Ran rolled her eyes. "Baka Shinichi. If you sneeze like that, someone was thinking about you. I bet it was one of your many fans..." She added.

Shinichi grinned. "Maybe," He added vaguely. A thoughtful look replaced the smile.

"What? You want to come over here-no, that's absurd! We're not doing anything at all that involves _him_, Nunnally-"

Kururugi's voice entered Shinichi's line of earshot suddenly, and his eyes narrowed. "What is he up to, I wonder?"

"It seems like he's talking to someone," Ran replied worriedly. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she took in a very familiar figure-no, two _very familiar_ figures striding toward them. "Aa, if it isn't Aoko-chan and Kuroba-san!"

Sure enough, Shinichi's eyes widened upon seeing his twin and Ran's come striding through the door, both carrying get-well cards. He raised an eyebrow in skepticism upon seeing the gift basket the magician set down in front of him. "I will _not_ open that, Kuroba." He replied coldly.

"Come on, Shin-chan! Have some fun! We only came here because we heard you'd been hurt by some goons," Kaito said, then a serious look overtook his goofy smile. "Has anyone been having more dreams?"

"...I have, Kaito-kun," Aoko responded quietly. "Dreams about a girl with hair that was as pink as cotton candy and a boy she was in love with. Someone with brown hair and...green eyes. I can't remember their names that well...but I think that person's name was Suzuki...something. And the girl's name was...Euphie."

Suzaku was busy arguing with Nunnally when he noticed that the door to Kudou's room was now shut. He wondered why. Did the young detective have guests? If so, then he must have been pretty distracted in dealing with Nunnally.

_"...Suzaku, don't lie to me. I want to see my brother." Nunnally insisted vehemently._

"Nunnally...not right now. I don't know what you're talking about." Suzaku insisted.

Suddenly, the door opened just a crack.

"...So what else have you experienced, Kudou?" An unfamiliar male voice uttered.

"...Not much. Just deja vu around this weird, green-haired person. Who dyes their hair that ridiculous color anyway?" Kudou's voice replied, sounding annoyed.

"...I know that it sounds silly, but I think that that girl with pink hair in my dreams...was similar to me, in a way. She had purple eyes like me, and was sweet and kind." A new voice uttered, which caused Suzaku to drop the cell phone he was holding.

Nunnally's eyes widened upon receiving a busy signal from Suzaku. "Suzaku, what happened? Suzaku?"

His green eyes widened in shock as he heard this girl talk. The rhythm and flow of her voice, her words...all sounded very familiar. Even though she spoke in Japanese, he could tell. It was her. The woman he'd lost at the hands of Zero years ago. He opened the door some more, disturbing the residents inside.

He noticed Kudou sitting there with an annoyed expression on his face. He smiled cheerily at him as if nothing was wrong. Mouri-san smiled at him, but the two new strangers simply stared at him. The first looked exactly like Kudou, with a similar shock of brown hair, and indigo eyes that were full of suspicion.

The second...was a girl with spiky brown hair and indigo-violet eyes. Her face was chalk white as she stared at him. There was a sense of recognition in her eyes as she surveyed him. "You...look familiar." She whispered.

"...Euphie? Is it you?" He whispered, feeling as though time had frozen over at that instant, or as if this were merely a cruel nightmare.

"Who is this guy, Aoko?" The brown-haired boy on the right responded, flashing him a wary look. He moved closer to the brown-haired girl, who was staring intently at him, as if in a trance.

"You are...Suzaku." She replied flatly, and then her eyes closed and she passed out then and there.

"AOKO!" Kaito exclaimed, picking up the brown-haired girl who lay limp in his arms and feeling her forehead. "What the hell did you do to her?" He hissed.

"Kuroba, knock it off. He didn't do anything to her, she just passed out, you barou," Kudou replied sharply, flashing him a glare, that clearly meant that he should shut up if he wanted to live. "Kururugi-san's not the kind of person who would go and do that to a girl." He whispered.

Suzaku's eyes widened considerably. Had the detective remembered more of his past life or something? "...Lelouch. Have you regained some of your memories?" He asked, directing his attention to the brown-haired boy.

Kudou merely flashed him a curious stare. His intelligent blue eyes blinked for a few moments, and Suzaku looked away, reminded too much of a certain black-haired boy for comfort. Then, he spoke, his voice calm and controlled. "What do you mean? If you mean, as in deja vu...yes, you seem familiar, and I remember you...a little bit more. But not much. And stop calling me by that name."

"Yes, Kudou's name is not "Louche", his name is Shin-chan! Just like what his mommy calls him, right Shinichi?" Kaito teased.

"Shut it, Kuroba. No one calls me Shin-chan and lives." Shinichi said menacingly.

"Why did she call me Suzaku?" Suzaku asked, staring at the unconscious brown-haired girl.

"Who the hell are you?" Kaito growled, moving protectively in front of the unconscious Aoko.

"He's just a friend of ours," Shinichi explained. "Anyway, remember the time we first met?"

"Oh, yeah, I do. Don't you know...?"

* * *

"I thought I would find you here, Lelouch." A voice uttered, and all of them turned around to see C.C standing in the doorway.

"Not you again." Shinichi sighed.


	15. Chapter 15 Memories best left forgotten

A/N:It has been FOREVER since I updated this story, and I am glad to update it again!

* * *

Chapter 15 Why did you run?

"There you are, Lelouch. I can't believe you ran from me. That wasn't very nice of you, you know."

C.C. smirked upon seeing the look of shock on the young man's face. That was the typical Lelouch expression:she knew she would recognize him, no matter who he was reincarnated as. However, the unexpected thing was that he seemed to be...scared of her. He had never been scared of her before.

He had never, ever, been scared of her at all, not even when they had first met back in the Shinjuku Ghetto. For some reason, he had been unafraid of anything that had been happening at the time-the bloodthirsty soldiers, the threat of his impending death-he had never been scared at all. Well, he had probably been a little nervous, but he had never once admitted to being afraid. Lelouch vi Britannia had been a great man, though he had a lot of blood on his hands and many regrets, as any man must possess.

However, his reincarnation...was a little different. To be honest, he seemed like a frightened little sparrow. He seemed terrified of her for no good reason. She wasn't that scary, was she? Maybe it was her get-up. She had changed her outfit enough so that way people would stop thinking of her as an escaped mental patient and actually listen to what she was trying to say, but maybe her caustic attitude and her rude, often blunt nature didn't help in the slightest.

Needless to say, she kind of enjoyed seeing Lelouch look scared. He certainly didn't LOOK anything at all like he used to. He seemed more...well, lean and muscular. He seemed to actually _possess normal _teenage stamina for once-the way he had run off so fast really startled her. She could tell that he was very muscular, from the way he was sitting in the bed. He definitely wasn't that weak.

Also, he was a little shorter than he used to be. He still was tall, he just wasn't as tall as he used to be. She approached the teen, who shot her a dirty look. It was the sort of look that read: "Go away. I don't like you." He still seemed to possess that smart-ass nature of his. She supposed that Lelouch was still a smart-acre and always would be no matter what. "What do you want?" He spat, glaring at her.

C.C merely chuckled as she sank into a chair near his bed and watched him with interested eyes. She noticed another youth who looked like him standing near the wall. In his arms was a brown-haired girl who seemed to be merely unconscious. From what, she couldn't tell. C.C was no doctor, she was an immortal. It wasn't like she could tell everything about a person by looking at him or her. Though sometimes she wished she could.

The brown-haired girl beside Lelouch tensed upon seeing her stare at him. From the way they were standing so close together, it was almost like they were...in love. "Who are you? What do you want from Shinichi?" She asked.

"Who? Lelouch? I merely wish to scold him for being a naughty boy and abandoning me. I am very disappointed at the fact that you ran away from me. I sure hope that you're not scared of me, Lelouch. You really shocked me. Am I really that scary?" She asked.

"No one has natural green hair," The boy beside Lelouch said. "You don't exactly seem like the most stable person around. Did you dye your hair? You, ah, do realize that you must be mistaken, right?"

C.C blinked for a few moments before she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What on earth are you talking about?I'm sure he's Lelouch-"

"Sorry, but my name is not Lelouch, you baka! Why does everyone insist on calling me that? That isn't my name at all!" Lelouch growled. His..._blue_ eyes were full of not anger, simply irritation and impatience as he stared at her. Blue, not purple...right, she had to get used to that.

"Okay. If you're not Lelouch, then what is your name?" C.C said. To be honest, the youth's name had slipped her mind. The only thing she knew about him was that he was Lelouch reincarnate. His name had been forgettable.

"It's Kudo, Kudo Shinichi. What's your name, Miss freaky Hair color?" The boy; Shinichi Kudo, taunted.

"As sarcastic as you ever were, I see. You used to treat me better, Lelou-er, Kudou."

The boy blinked in confusion before he sighed. "Not again. Everyone seems to think I'm this LELOUCH person when that isn't me, _damn it!"_

_**Admit it, Kudo. You used to be me.**_

_Hell no. I'm not a murderer or a terrorist._

**You are. You used to be me, so the blood on your hands from MY past is still there, you know. You just refuse-no, it's more like you have an emotional denial of everything you can't explain. Your dreams, your bleeding eye, your deja vu, you seem to deny everything about it. Why can't you stop being such a fool and realize that?**

_I have remembered some things. I know that girl, Kouzuki-san, I know Shirley, the girl named Nunnally, the boy Kururugi-san, and your death. I don't understand everything yet. But I wish to know as much as I can. It's just hard for me to believe that I have a second personality inside me. How do I know I'm not insane?_

**You're not, for the last time!**

Shinichi ignored Lelouch's bickering and turned his attention to Ran, who stared at him in interest. "Shinichi, are you all right? You look a little pale. Maybe you need some water." Ran suggested, before she walked out of the room and closed the door.

Kaito turned to Shinichi. "Kudo, we do need to talk. Regarding you and I-"

"Oi, oi, you're NOT trying to tell me that you're-"

"That I'm what?" Kaito asked curiously.

"You're not gay or something, are you?" Shinichi asked.

"Bakanichi! That's not it at all! I meant that you must have known me from your past life. The first time I saw you, I just knew that we had met before. It has nothing to do with romantic fate or any of that crap. Believe me, okay?" Kaito asked, staring at him with serious eyes.

"Kaito..." Shinichi trailed off. This was a side of Kaito he didn't often see. Usually, he would see the grinning, happy Kaito who would joke around and laugh. He was not serious that often, and when he was, well, something was usually not right then.

"I'm not kidding around, okay?" Kaito said.

"It's rare of you to say something like that."

C.C. listened in confusion, not entirely certain what they were talking about. She didn't understand Japanese that well, so most of his language was gibberish to her. Still, she couldn't help but notice something different about the boy. Was it just her, or was he...actually, laughing? Smiling? Lelouch vi freaking Britannia smiling and laughing was a rare enough sight to see.

"I have a question for you. What would you do if someone killed your family? Would you kill them?" C.C asked. She was partially curious as to what his answer would be.

"...Isn't the answer obvious? The answer is never. Even if someone did such a thing, they don't deserve death. That's not something I can do, ever. I can never bring myself to kill anyone or anything. It's not right to kill." Shinichi said seriously.

C.C's jaw dropped open ten feet. That was the last thing she had expected to hear him say. "What are you saying?"

This was the man who had accidentally ordered his sister to murder the Japanese and had taken advantage of it and shot her down while staining her name; this was the man who had taken the entire world hostage and had geassed God himself; this was the man who had been a terrorist who could kill for any reason-or excuse-was this God's idea of a bad joke?

Shinichi merely sighed upon seeing the shocked look on her face. "Come on, why does everyone I meet act like I'm some criminal or some horrible person? I'm no such thing."

C.C was still unable to speak, so whenever the brunette opened the door and came back with a glass of water for Lelouch-or Kudo Shinichi, as he called himself now, she finally managed to say something. "That's interesting. Your past self wasn't like that at all. If anything, your past self was quite...well, evil."

"I've noticed," He remarked sarcastically. "I've also noticed that people are quite inclined to mistake me for this person. Perhaps you have mistaken identity or something similar?"

C.C rolled her eyes. "Nope. I'm quite certain that you are Lelouch reincarnated. I could tell from the first time we met that there was something familiar about you and that it seemed like we had met somewhere before."

He raised an eyebrow in interest before he drank a bit of his glass of water. He stared at it for a moment, and then suddenly he spat the water out and stared at the glass in shock. Somehow, something was worming its way into his mind. He didn't know what it was. "What the heck?" He stammered. He stared at the water, which was calm, still, and never moving, much like time itself. He stared at the reflected water for a moment before something rose to his mind. A memory he had wanted to forget more than anything else came to his mind. It was one of the incidents that had also foreshadowed his meeting with Ran.

* * *

**Shinichi, what's wrong?**

_I just remembered...something from when I was younger. I often got picked on by bullies because I would often see visions from my past life and it made all the other kids call me a delusional freak. So I sealed off my emotions. But that didn't help. It made things worse._

**Shinichi, if you must know, I was the one who put those memories in your mind. I didn't want to manipulate you...at the time, I was just as confused as you are now and wanted to figure out what was going on.**

_I feel dizzy...somehow. This is why I always hated water._

_Shinichi, calm down!_

_I'm fine, Lelouch. Knock it off. Just pay attention._

* * *

"Shin-chan, it's all right. I know you passed out the other day in school and the other kids may find you weird for that, but try to explain it to them, okay?" Shinichi Kudo's mother, Kudo Yukiko, said before ruffling her seven-year old son's hair.

Her son didn't say anything, instead he just stared straight ahead and nodded his head in acknowledgment. He had been spacing out a lot lately, and his behavior deeply worried his mother. She wondered what was wrong with her son. He had been getting in trouble more often at school, and he had actually gotten in a fight with one of the kids in his class.

"Shin-chan? Are you alive and with us?" She asked in concern. Her son's blue eyes widened.

"I'm fine, Okaasan. I swear," He said before sighing. "I just saw what I saw! Some girl with pink hair was killing people with a gun! I saw it all! It really happened, but no one believed me when I told them!" He cried.

"Shinichi, I think your imagination has gone a little too far. However, maybe that would be a good idea for one of your father's books, don't you think?"

His father put down his pen from the notebook he was currently writing in and then turned to stare at them. "Sorry, son, but you'll have to be a little less of a troublesome brat at school."

"But tousan..." Shinichi whined, but upon seeing his dad shake his head, he just frowned and folded his arms before turning away. A few tears gathered in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.

"Shin-chan?" Yukiko asked. Whenever she turned her son around, he was smiling again, like any child was supposed to. "Go out and play in the yard, okay?"

"But I don't want to-"

"The adults need to talk, okay, sweetie?" She said before ruffling his russet brown hair.

As soon as he left, she turned to her husband. "We need to talk about Shinichi."

"What is there to say? He's an ordinary boy, prone to imagining things, make-believe. Typical for any child his age." Yusaku said calmly.

"Just now...I noticed he was crying...but something odd has happened recently with him, Yusaku-kun. He used to cry all the time-whenever he got scolded by his teacher, whenever he got in trouble here-but now he doesn't cry at all. I'll see tears in his eyes, but he seems to cover it up by smiling. It's a scary feeling, Yusaku-kun. I don't know what's wrong with him. And those dreams of his..."

"I think he may have a creative imagination. He doesn't seem to be suffering that much. You're probably worrying too much, Yukiko-chan." Yusaku said.

Shinichi frowned as he sat, listening to his parents. He was no fool and he knew his parents were worried about him. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He was used to this sort of thing.

"Does anyone know the answer to this question?"

The teacher was busy asking all of the students a question related to a quiz they were going to take very soon. Shinichi had no need for these sorts of things, so he was engrossed in a mystery novel.

"This is so exciting! I want to know what's going to happen next! So, is that person the culprit?" He whispered excitedly. Unfortunately, the teacher overheard his conversation.

"What do you think you're doing, Kudo-san? Do you think this room is a library or something?" His teacher asked, before walking over to his desk and swiping the book out of his hands.

The class tried hard not to laugh. Shinichi glared at the man in front of him. "Give it back. I was reading it." He remarked darkly.

"Talking back, eh? I suppose you think since you're the son of an author, that you can get away with reading books all of the time, huh? Well, do you want detention, Kudo-san? Or will you actually decide to start paying attention instead of spacing out and reading a dumb book!" The teacher boomed, before whacking his desk.

Shinichi's fists tightened. "Give it back. I need it back. Don't insult my father," He growled.

The teacher merely smirked before throwing the book onto his desk. "Don't let me catch you reading again, you little idiot," He hissed in his ear. He frowned upon seeing the boy merely smirk coldly at him. That child really creeped him out.

"Wow, that was great, Kudo!" One boy next to him cried sarcastically. "Who would've thought that such a stuck-up kid like you would even DARE to read a book in class? You obviously think you're better than all of us, huh?"

"Hey, maybe Sherlock Holme's name was really...She-lock Holmes! Maybe he was really a woman!" Another boy next to him taunted.

"Don't insult the great Holmes!" Shinichi yelped.

"Let me ask you something, Kudo. Are you crazy or something? The other day, you ran off and we found you passed out and rambling on and on about some hallucination. You saw someone killing people with guns. What kind of freak are you? You must be on drugs." Another boy taunted, before kicking Shinichi in the leg.

"It's true!" He whined. He was not about to cry now, he was not, he was not, he was NOT!

A/N:If anyone is interested in knowing, this chapter was incredibly painful to write, because I was bullied for years by jerks. I think I was around this age as well. You know how disgusting bullies can be, so I'm determined to get my anti-bullying message across.

However, he failed, as one boy snatched his book away from him.

"Hey, this book is soooo stupid! Let's throw it in the mud outside!"

"GIVE IT BACK!" Shinichi screamed, but it did nothing, as the kids started laughing.

"Oh, going into your theatrics routine again, huh? Give us a break!" A girl beside him snapped.

"Just...shut up, damn it!" He cried. All of the children froze upon hearing the curse word come flying out of his mouth.

"Kudo-san, would you like to stand in the hallway and hold water? I heard you swearing..." The teacher uttered sadistically.

Shinichi lowered his head. "...No."

"Then, why were you shouting?" The teacher pressed.

Shinichi stared at the bullies, who were all grinning at him. "...No, teacher. Nothing happened. Nothing at all." He muttered before slamming his book on the floor and putting his head on his desk. A few tears slid down his cheeks and at that point, he couldn't control himself any longer and started to cry loudly.

"Hey, look! Kudo's crying again! What a crybaby!" The same boy beside him taunted, and the entire class burst out into raucous laughter.

Shinichi continued crying until the teacher made him lift his head up to show the entire class his tear-stained face.

"Keep your head up. By the way...on the recent quiz we took...the only one who passed with flying colors...was Kudou Shinichi. The rest of you all failed."

The entire class gasped.

Shinichi smirked momentarily, but it faded upon seeing the teacher smirk at him.

"However...you did get a FEW ANSWERS wrong." He said sadistically. For some reason, this teacher hated him with a passion that Shinichi didn't understand.

"...It'd be so nice if you could all just die." He mumbled.

"What did you say?" The teacher asked.

"Nothing, teacher." Shinichi whimpered, his bottom lip trembling again.

"Stop picking on him this instant!" A female voice shrieked. Shinichi turned to see a girl with brown hair staring at him in concern. "You guys make me sick, picking on him like this!"

"All right...both of you...out in the hallway and carry water!" The teacher hissed.

"Ha ha ha, maybe he'll spill it on his pants and it'll look like he wet himself-"

Shinichi frowned as he held his water in the hallway. "You didn't have to do that, you know. Now you'll just get bullied by them."

The brown-haired girl shook her head. "It wasn't fair, seeing them all gang up on you like that! Someone had to help you, you know! Besides, I couldn't help but feel like...I didn't want to see you sad. I felt like, for some reason, I had to cheer you up. It's odd, isn't it?" She stared at him intently. His eyes widened. There was something very familiar about those blue eyes of hers.

He stared down at the water he was carrying, as clear as glass and as unmoving as a mirror. He put a finger in it and the water rippled. He could see his reflection in it. Suddenly, he found himself in the rain. His hair was getting wet for some reason.

_What? What's going on here?_

For some reason, he was out in the rain. That was all he knew, much less understood about this. He was holding an umbrella on over himself. Whoever this was...he could feel the rain on his face and the rain on his fingers.

_Wait a second...he was viewing this from outside his body! What was going on here?_

The figure stared at a phone, and then sighed and put it away. "Looks like she's not coming, huh? I should've known."

The figure stopped, upon seeing a girl up ahead. Shinichi's eyes widened. The girl was a teenager who appeared to be much older than he was. Her hair was long and orange and it went down to her waist. Her gaze was down towards the ground, and her purse and clothes were all getting soaked from the rain.

"What's wrong, oneesan?" He asked, but somehow he was unseen by the girl. It was as if these events were merely for him to watch, and not interfere in.

"Hey, what's wrong? You're going to catch a cold if you keep on standing out here! Here, let me get you inside!" The boy cried, before putting the black umbrella on over her, but before he could do so, she spoke.

"Hey, Lulu." That voice, he recognized it so much. That voice seemed to resound throughout his heart. Shinichi knew this voice. But who was it? "They say Zero helps the weak, doesn't he?"

Whoever this Zero person was, he must not have been very important to the boy, because the boy shrugged, and said: "I dunno. I guess that's what they say."

"Then, why did he kill my father?" The girl cried, before lifting her head up to reveal her tear-stained face. He heard the boy gasp. "My father was a kind man and he happened to be working there at the time Zero was there. He was suffocated and he couldn't breathe. He didn't do anything wrong, Lulu. Please...please, help me!" She moaned, before she pulled herself into the boy's chest.

The boy didn't respond for a few moments before she put her lips against his and they kissed. The umbrella fell to their sides, forgotten, as the rain steadily increased around him.

"Hey, you look awfully pale. Is something wrong?" The girl asked.

"No..." He muttered, before his eyes closed and he passed out on the floor. The water fell from his sides and spilled all over the place. Was it water that was surrounding him, or was it blood, he wondered?

He awoke to his mother's worried face. "Oh, thank goodness you woke up, Shin-chan! We heard you passed out again! But before all of that, there was an accident at your school!"

"What accident?" He mumbled quietly.

"Apparently, there was water on the floor or something, and two boys were walking there and both of them slipped. One of them broke his neck and the other one is completely paralyzed. They were boys from your school, Shinichi!" She cried.

Shinichi froze. Hadn't he wished that they could all just die? His eyes widened. "Okaasan, I was carrying some water as a punishment and I passed out...so did I...kill them? No, I don't want to kill..."

Finally, he allowed himself to cry into his mother's arms.

"Shin-chan, what's the matter with you?"


	16. Chapter 16 Kallen reconsiders

_A/N:I am so sick of idiots in this world. Anyone else agree? The people in my life are so annoying and I can't stand them. Well, that's why the Internet is the perfect form of escapism. You get to escape reality for a bit. Well, that and you can mock the people you don't like and voice your opinions without fear of being silenced. Those are only some of the benefits, my friends, *hee hee hee...*_

* * *

Chapter 16 Kallen reconsiders

Kallen Kozuki frowned as she sat outside the hospital in a lush garden. Beside her were lots of children frolicking and playing in the bright, warm sunlight, talking to their friends, playing with their pets; any of the usual things kids do on a sunny day. Their parents were standing nearby, keeping a close eye on them and scolding them as need be for any insouciance they may commit.

She couldn't help but feel a little envious upon seeing those kids surrounded by their loving, kind parents. She had never had that privilege in her life. Her father had been a worthless noble who hadn't cared about her in the slightest, and now her mother was still in prison, awaiting the time when she could be let out. Her mother was still nothing more than a druggie awaiting bail, and then what would she do? Go after Refrain again?

It wasn't like that bothered Kallen now-well, maybe it did. She just had a job now and she lived somewhere else, so she tended to not concern herself with it so much now. The other thing that was bothering her was her fight earlier with that boy...Kudou Shinichi, wasn't it? He was so much like Lelouch that it hurt. At the same time, however, he was different. He possessed innocence and kindness that he didn't try to hide, unlike Lelouch.

He seemed true to his feelings and loyal. She still couldn't forgive him for what he had said to Suzaku after the latter had saved his worthless life! Why call him out for being a murderer when he had just been saved from a painful death at the hands of ruthless gangsters who would probably be less brutal than she was? They would do more than simply slap him in the face. They probably would have killed him.

And then what would she do? She would be upset once more. She would lose her dear Lelouch again. She wondered if he still remembered her feelings for him in his past life. It would have been much more awkward if he had been reincarnated as a girl. Kallen had pondered over numerous possibilities in her mind before she had come here and encountered him for real. None of them made any sense, of course, but that was the mind for you.

She had envisioned him as a masked terrorist, then a hippie, then a dog, and she couldn't remember the other one besides him being female. That one was still undeniably odd. Though, would she want to walk up to a girl and say, "Hi, I happened to know you in your past life and you were a boy then and I was in love with you. Do you still love me?"

She shook those ridiculous feelings out of her head. How long had she been here? Two hours? Three hours? She needed to head back, but how could she face Lelouch now? She missed the old Lelouch. A few tears came to her eyes before she wiped them away.

A young girl with blue eyes and curly blond hair appeared. "Mind if I sit here?" She asked.

Kallen shook her head and moved aside, allowing the blonde to sit next to her. She appeared to be around only eight or nine at the oldest. She looked bored, for some reason. "What's wrong? You don't like playing at the park?"

A look of annoyance flew across the girl's face and then disappeared. "Nope. I'm not into kiddie things. So, what's your complication? Are you worried about someone?" She asked seriously, before she peered into her eyes for a few moments.

Those turquoise orbs of hers were quite sharp, and full of intelligence. Not unlike a certain raven-haired young man she had formerly known...she shook her head, trying to free the memories from her system. It failed, of course.

"Not really. I just had a fight with someone. A boy, who's not the same as he used to be for me, that's all. Kids like you wouldn't understand," She said dully.

To her surprise, the girl cast her another annoyed look. "Of course I would, Onee-san. I hate saying that word now..." She cast an enigmatic glance at her.

God, this girl reminded her a lot of C.C. It really annoyed her how she kept on ignoring her and acting like she didn't exist. What was _wrong_ with this little brat?

"Who are you, kid?" She asked harshly.

"Haibara. Haibara Ai. What's your name?" The girl asked.

"I'm Kallen. Kallen Kozuki," Kallen said as she shook hands with the young girl.

"Hmm...what interesting hands you have. Judging from the texture, I'd say you work out a lot. You're quite muscular..." The girl went on and on, describing a whole bunch of nonsense about Kallen that left her speechless.

"How did you-"

"I'm precocious, that's all. My Okaasan and Otousan want me to be smart, so they taught me all of these big words. Is that okay with you, Kallen-neesama?" She said sarcastically. Something was not right with this girl. She didn't seem like a girl at all.

"Are you human?" She asked.

The girl nodded her head. "Yeah, what about you?" She said robotically.

Kallen fumed. "You little...well, actually I'm just worried about someone I know."

"A boy? They can be quite confusing organisms, don't you think?" Haibara said coldly.

"You act like an adult instead of a child," Kallen said sharply. "Just who are you?"

"None of your business. I simply came because I was bored. Is that all right with you, Mrs. control freak?" She deadpanned.

Kallen glared at this girl. She sure was arrogant.

"Who is this boyfriend of yours?" The girl asked coolly.

"The only one I had...died."

A look of sympathy shot across the girl's face. "Someone close to you...dying. I understand that pretty well."

"Don't be. It happened a long time ago."

"You need to be more confident in yourself, Onee-san. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep this boy you like so much," She said smoothly.

"I told you he was dead!" She snapped.

"You're seeing someone else, huh?" She said suavely. She turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Kallen cried. She stood up then. She had a bad feeling now. She ought to go check on Kudo and see how he was doing. She suddenly knew she had to be by his side right now.

* * *

Shinichi shivered as the memories flowed back into his mind. Not those agonizing, terrifying ones...the ones he wanted to forget desperately. He shook.

"Shinichi, are you all right? Shinichi, hang in there!" Ran said, before shaking him.

He returned to reality then. "Oh? Ran...what was I doing...oh, crap." He looked down at the glass of water, which had shattered into pieces on the ground and was everywhere."I'm sorry, Ran. I didn't mean to do it."

"Shinichi, what's wrong with you?" Ran asked. "It's all right. I'll clean it up."

"I just remembered memories of the past. Not very pleasant ones." He said.

"Oh," Ran said darkly. "I know what you mean."

C.C stared at him in boredom. "You humans are not that interesting."

"Don't make fun of him now! In the past, he was made fun of a lot for remembering his past life, and it almost made him snap!" Ran said defensively.

Shinichi smiled nervously, but the tense look on his face still remained. "Why is she here, anyway?"

"To watch you and see that your geass doesn't develop again," She said.

"What the hell is that?" He asked in confusion.

"Oh, that thing..." Suzaku said, his fists tightening. That thing had taken away his precious Euphemia, eroded at his and Lelouch's friendship, and destroyed many people's lives before it had died with Lelouch...or so he had thought.

"Why is he here, anyway? Don't you have a home to go to?" Shinichi said dryly.

"He's right. We have to go home soon," Suzaku said.

"I'm staying," C.C said dully. "Go find Kallen if you want."

As soon as Suzaku walked out the door, her eyes fell on Shinichi, who had his nose buried in a mystery novel. She picked up one of the MANY books by his bedside and studied it.

"The hound of the Baskervilles?" She asked.

"A mystery novel by the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," Shinichi said in boredom, not even lifting the book from his face.

"It's rude to read while people want to talk to you, boya."

"It's rude to talk while people _want_ to read, and not talk." Shinichi retorted.

"Touche. You need to start respecting me a bit more. I'm not just some stripper or something."

"You're not a cosplayer?" He said sarcastically.

"No, I'm immortal. I come from another universe where your past self and I were close."

Shinichi started to laugh out loud. "Please, you want me to believe in that junk?"

"Shinichi, don't be so rude! I'm sorry for his rude attitude, but he's been like this since we were kids!" Ran said before nudging the teen detective.

"Barou, tell her to leave me alone. I want to read more of Holmes and Watson's adventures," He said, his eyes shining.

"Just consider yourself lucky that I brought these here for you." Ran said. "Where's Kaito-kun?"

"He left. He decided to take Nakamori-san back home. I think she's sick or something," Shinichi said drowsily.

"Are you tired?" Ran asked.

"You don't have to be my nurse, Ran," Shinichi chided.

"Are visiting hours over?" A new voice asked.

"No, come in." Shinichi remarked in boredom.

"Hello there, Kudou Shinichi." A blond-haired girl with blue eyes said. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Are you with those guys who tried to kill me?" Shinichi said, his eyes wide.

"Yep. Not anymore. I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"About what?" Shinichi said warily.

"Tell me what it's like to be a detective haunted by bizarre dreams full of blood and murder and rage and sadness, Kudou Shinichi-or, should I say, Lelouch vi Britannia, the Demon Emperor?"

Shinichi stared at her, her eyes wide. "How do you know about those dreams?"

"I have them as well, Zero," She said, earning a confused glance from Shinichi. "It appears you don't remember everything, huh? I expected much more from you."


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N:Thank you for the review! I only have like 20 reviews on this story! That is sad...well, Lelouch and Shinichi are a lot alike._

* * *

Chapter 17 Kallen returns

Shinichi Kudou merely blinked at the girl before him, before he sighed and hit his forehead. "Not more of this superstitious mumbo-jumbo again. Does it really matter who I used to be in a past life?"

The girl frowned and then she hopped up beside him, freaking him out. "Wow, you haven't changed one bit, have you? You were never afraid of me. In fact, you really regretted my death."

Shinichi just blinked in confusion. "What the hell are you babbling about?" He stared at her in bewilderment.

"You still don't remember who I used to be, huh?" She smiled slightly and it freaked him out even more. Shinichi backed away from her, but his head just ached. "You can't really move much, huh?"

"I could if I wanted to, it's just that I have to rest for a bit. I hate that, but I have no choice to just stay here and read until the hospital says I can leave," Shinichi responded. He was really freaked out by this girl, but he was trying not to let his fear show.

Apparently, he failed, because the girl came closer to him and looked in his eyes. "In my past life, my name was Euphie."

A/N:Mind-screw.

"What? But I thought the other one was-" Shinichi stated.

"Nah, she was deluded a little." Haibara said before she cast icy blue eyes in his direction. "So, what kind of a person are you now, Lelouch? Or, Kudo Shinichi-kun, as you go by now?"

He flinched. "Leave me alone."

"You need to remember a lot of things. Things that you have been holding back. C.C. should help you remember them." Haibara said before turning to C.C, who looked a little hesitant.

"I don't really feel this is necessary." She said before shrugging and sitting down. "If he wants to remember, he just has to ask. I don't mind-rape people."

"You've changed." Haibara said before chuckling.

"So have you. When you and I had our contract, you were kind and sweet. Now you seem like V.V."

"Personalities tend to change through reincarnation, C.C. That's a given fact. Our souls may be the same, but our bodies and personalities often change. One person who was a nice person in a past life may become a monster in this life. Of course, the opposite can also happen, right, Zero, the terrorist?"

"I'm not a terrorist." Shinichi said vehemently.

"You were. But now you're a detective. That's so ironic." Haibara said before yawning and leaping off the bed. "Well, I only stayed for a bit to chat, so I have to go to my new home. See you all later."

C.C. sighed. "Suzaku is out looking for Kallen, Le-er, Kudou. We'll be leaving soon."

Shinichi had returned back to reading a book by this time. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Wait, you're leaving?" He said before sitting up.

"My, so you're actually curious in knowing?" C.C. said.

"Yes. Well, I just want to have some of my questions answered. Who was Lelouch, really?" Shinichi asked.

"A terrorist who rose up against his father after his mother was killed. He was also a prince who pretended to be a student." C.C. replied.

"So, he killed lots of people." Shinichi said skeptically.

"Yes, many people. Lots of them innocent, usually for a good cause, though. Some were unavoidable, like Princess Euphemia." C.C. said vaguely.

"Who's that?" Shinichi said dumbly.

"The one you just met. She is the reincarnation of Princess Euphemia, who was Lelouch's half-sister. She was his biggest regret," C.C. said sadly.

"Why?" Shinichi asked.

"He...made her do something horrible, so he had to kill her to end her suffering. He never meant for it to happen, but he had no choice in the end. He made a bad choice, that's all," C.C. explained vaguely.

"Right...so, anyway, when will you make me remember these "past-life" memories?" He scoffed.

"Only when you want to remember them. I think I'll hang around here for a bit. It seems more interesting than hanging around with the others. Oh, and I believe Suzaku should be back soon. Apparently, a certain someone wants to know the truth about you." She said, her amber eyes full of amusement.

"Kouzuki-san?" Shinichi asked dumbly.

"No, a special friend to Suzaku." C.C. lied, not wishing to tell him about Nunnally just yet. After the way he had reacted a few days ago, it was best not to bring up that name in front of him.

"All right. So, are you going to go to my house?" Shinichi asked. "There's lots of room in my mansion."

"What a gentleman you are. I'd gladly go, but for now, I have to stay. Ah, here comes Kallen."

A certain redhead came back in, looking decidedly less angry than the last time Shinichi had seen her. She hung her head and it seemed that she'd actually been...crying. Wait, crying? The girl who had cussed him out and smacked him in the face was actually crying? Wow, this was strange.

Shinichi looked away from her, not wishing to incur more of her wrath when she spoke up again.

"Look at me. Don't ignore me, you jerk," She said coldly. "I thought over it a bit and I realized...I've been too forceful on you, haven't I? Here you are, living the life you're used to and suddenly someone you barely even know tries to tell you everything you know is a lie. I'd be horrified, too. But I'm happy for you. So, I'm sorry."

"What the heck? It was my fault, for being an idiot." Shinichi said softly, his eyes back on his book.

Kallen's jaw dropped open ten feet at that statement. She certainly never expected him to say something like that.

"You..." She shook her head in disbelief at that statement.

* * *

"Reincarnation is something else, isn't it?" C.C. stated, taking the words out of her mouth for her.

"I guess." She said quietly.


	18. Chapter 18 Nunnally arrives

A/N:Well, time for the next chapter, wouldn't you say? It's been too long since I last updated.

Chapter 18 Nunnally arrives

* * *

"So, why are you looking at me with such surprise, Kouzuki-san?" Shinichi asked, wondering why the girl looked like she was about to cry and jump on him.

"Oh, Kudo, you're such a stupid fool," Kallen whined, wondering how she could have been so stupid to overlook the obvious fact that this boy was much different than his previous self, "How about we start off fresh? No more calling you Lelouch from now on."

Shinichi smiled. "Yes, I'm relieved you've decided to remember my name." He sighed, like it had been the worst thing in the world for him to go through.

"So, Kudou, how soon until you get out of the hospital?" She broached the subject carefully, wondering how he would handle it.

"Um...I'm not sure what you mean, entirely, but I think it'll be pretty soon," He said cautiously, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah," Kallen said with a smile on her face, a refreshingly honest one.

"So you're happy now, Kouzuki-san?" Shinichi asked, a question that startled her out of her thoughts.

"Eh?" She said.

"Well, as long as you've decided to think of me as anything but Lelouch." Shinichi said happily.

Kallen smiled a bittersweet smile. "I'm sure you've had a hard time coming to grips with it." She said sadly.

"Yeah, more or less," Shinichi said softly, smiling back sheepishly.

Kallen found her face flushing slightly. "So, you know I need to leave soon. But Suzaku is bringing someone he'd like you to meet."

"Who could that be?" Shinichi asked. The young detective's face took on one of concentration, as if he was trying to remember something very important.

"You'll see soon enough, Kudo," Kallen said, though there was a new emotion in her face that Shinichi noticed, despite her trying so hard to hide it.

"Are you...sad, Kouzuki-san?" Shinichi spoke up then, startling the red-head out of her thoughts, most of them concerning a certain young man with black hair.

"Sad...hm, not really. More like satisfied. I know you're never going to remember everything about your past life, but I'm just glad I could meet you and see what sort of person you are now." Kallen said softly.

"Kouzuki-san, you loved Lelouch, didn't you? But I'm not the same as he was. You're just loving a shadow," Shinichi pointed out, "But I'd like to be friends with you, if you don't mind. You seem nice."

Kallen looked at him with wide eyes. "Okay, that sounds nice," She said.

"I think you might just like Kururugi-san, judging from how you fight with him so much," Shinichi said astutely.

Kallen's cheeks reddened. "No, he already loved someone else. He's not over her...he'd never be into me."

* * *

Suddenly the door opened and Suzaku came in, pushing a girl in a pink wheelchair. Her light blue eyes widened as she saw Kallen.

"Hey, Kallen." Her eyes fell on a curious Shinichi, who was wondering to himself why she looked so familiar. But she was mostly a stranger to him.

"So, where's my big brother at? You said you were visiting him," She said stubbornly.

Kallen sighed. "It's complicated." She said.

Shinichi blinked for a few moments, as his gaze drifted to Ran, who looked intrigued as well.

"What a cute kid. I'm Mouri Ran..." Ran said.

"Actually, I'm twenty," Nunnally said, startling the girl.

"I'm sorry. That means you're three years older than both of us," Ran said before looking at Shinichi, who was looking at the girl in confusion before his gaze came to rest on Ran.

Nunnally found herself completely ignoring the boy on the bed. He seemed fairly average and not that memorable. The girl was nice enough, but they weren't her brother. She wanted to see her brother.

The boy spoke up then, softly, "Anou...um, who's this girl you brought in, Kururugi-san? Is she your sister or something or your relative?"

Suzaku gasped, stunned that he hadn't even recognized his sister-well, _former _sister. "This is Nunnally, my childhood friend. She's an Empress, actually, a ruler of our country."

Shinichi and Ran both gasped.

"That's amazing!" Ran cried, "I would never have guessed."

Nunnally sighed. "Yeah, no one does. They think because I'm so little and because of this wheelchair that I'm a cute little angel who can't do anything."

"Nunnally, that's not true at all!" Suzaku said.

"Admit it. You two never wanted to tell me anything about where my brother is, or what you've been doing up until now!" Nunnally cried.

Suzaku looked stunned. "Nunnally...please, if we explain, you'll see your brother soon enough."

"So, where is he? You said he wasn't dead." Nunnally said adamantly.

She noticed the brown-haired boy was now reading a mystery novel. It looked like he was halfway through it.

"Shinichi, don't read when we have guests!" Ran scolded.

The boy put down the book and rolled his eyes. "Baarou, Ran, I'm entitled to read a little bit of the fine literature known as detective fiction. It helps inspire me."

"Whatever, detective nerd," The girl muttered.

The boy's intelligent blue eyes were studying the girl closely and a faint blush tinged his cheeks.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you two are boyfriend and girlfriend," Nunnally pointed out.

The boy flushed even more and coughed while the girl blushed cherry-red.

"That's not true, he's just my friend!" The girl cried.

"Yeah, yeah, that's the pure and honest truth, I swear!" The boy cried.

"You are...?" She asked.

"This is my best friend and classmate, Kudo Shinichi. Shinichi, say hi!"

The blue-eyed boy blinked before sighing in annoyance and extending his hand forward.

"Hai, hai, nice to meet you..."

Nunnally noticed how clueless he was. 'There's something smart about him, though. Still, from the way Kallen is looking at him...you'd think he was more than he seemed. Is he really my brother?'

"Big brother?" She asked.

* * *

The blue-eyed boy blinked. "Ehh...if you must know, I'm an only child. I don't have any siblings. I do have a cousin, though, but he's away right now."

"That's right. Shinichi's always been lonely." Ran said.


	19. Chapter 19

A/n:Well, I'm gonna make another quick chapter! Oh, and just so you know, this next chapter is about Nunnally getting to know and accept her new big "brother", Shinichi, and their relationship with one another. Enjoy, and please comment and review. XD

Chapter 19 My new big brother, Shinichi

* * *

Nunnally blinked in confusion as she regarded the dark-haired boy before her, whose blue eyes registered confusion as her eyes met with his. "Big Brother, is it really _you_? You're really alive again?" She whispered, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

The boy blinked again, and then sighed. "Look, I'm not your big brother. I don't even have any siblings, like I explained before."

Nunnally looked extremely desperate then, so the boy sighed.

"Fine, I might have been your big brother in a past life, but I just get greatly confused by all this talk." He said, fidgeting with his messy brown hair.

"I see...you don't want me around,then." Nunnally said sadly, knowing that the circumstances were different and her brother no longer remembered her, nor the _bond_ they had once shared.

"I didn't mean it like that!" The boy exclaimed, a nervous look on his face. He blushed slightly upon seeing her cry. "Oi, I hate it when girls cry, so please stop."

"L-Lelouch, I-"

"My name is Shinichi Kudo," He cut in, staring at her with serious eyes, "Not Lelouch or whatever else people call me, all right? Call me that."

"Onii-chan?" She asked.

"Oi, oi, I'm not your brother biologically," He protested. "But, you could call me Shinichi-Onii-chan if you wanted."

"Shinichi-onii-chan..." Nunnally let the words roll off her tongue for a few moments, savoring the taste and wondering how it would feel to be this boy's sister. Was he Lelouch? Sure, he reacted to her presence well enough, but he acted awfully normal, rather unlike the over-the-top, theatrical brother she had known.

"I suppose that's fine enough," The boy chuckled at his own joke before faltering, his eyes darting to the floor before they came back to rest on her.

"Shinichi is an only sibling," The girl who was right next to her former big brother whispered, shooting a jealous look at her. It was obvious to Nunnally that these two were an item.

Call her what you would, a fool, an idiot, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it was innocent. Her innocence had died the very day that her legs and eyes had failed her. At least, until her willpower had been strong enough to break the bonds of the monstrous powers known as the Geass, and-

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" The boy, Shinichi, asked, his intelligent blue eyes scouring her, as if searching for flaws. Indeed, he was smart, calculating, even. It seemed some traces of his past life still did linger.

She couldn't help but smile a bit. Even if her brother had changed in reincarnation, in many ways he was the same. He still possessed that kind heart, only he seemed to wear it openly now and not hide it behind a curtain of coldness that only she could see through.

"Eh...did I do something funny?" The boy asked, looking at her with something akin to embarrassment on his face. Oh, and he was modest, too, something else that was new for the young girl to take in. Lelouch had been proud, but never had he been humble and modest...this was most certainly a change.

She supposed reincarnation was an ironic term and perhaps irony came with the practice. A kind person could be cruel in a current life, while a terrorist like her brother could be a sweet and gentle person. "How much do you remember of my life?" She whispered.

His eyes darkened then, and she wondered if she had erred, for his eyes lost their light. "...I don't like to speak about them," He said, softly but in a firm tone that conveyed his answer to her. "In the past...I was ridiculed, for holding such beliefs and no one would come to my defense when I spoke of such things."

"Do you reject me as well, Shinichi?" She said, speaking his new name slowly, as though she still didn't believe him to be her brother. His soul was still the same, even if his face and name were not, and thus there was something within him that still recognized her as his, even if he was not subconsciously aware of such a thing himself.


End file.
